Robot soldiers in Iraq.

[Ojam]

I'm not a big fan of the war on Iraq, but this is damn cool, now all we need is skynet!

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/01/22/robosoldier/
http://www.foster-miller.com/project...lon_robots.htm

[aquariaguy]

I'm not a big fan of the war on Iraq, but this is damn cool, now all we need is skynet!

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/01/22/robosoldier/
http://www.foster-miller.com/project...lon_robots.htm

That's pretty neat. I'm guessing it'd be hard to use those in the streets, since someone can just bash it quickly? Unless it self-detonates ...

[rb]

One of the "benefits" of any war is the massive developments in military technology which eventually finds its way into civillian life. No doubt this war will spur even more of that on. The US dead is relatively small (less than 1500) , yet still for Americans that is too many dead soldiers. The Pentagon wants to reduce the American Death count further and further and will use more non human devices to do the dangerous stuff that troops do and die for. I think the first thing that will be impacted is the need for Human pilots of planes and helicopters, most of thar stuff could be done by remote control. Just a matter of time.

[bluetroll]

what is the dead toll of iraqi civilians?

[rb]

what is the dead toll of iraqi civilians?

Whats that got to do with this thread?

Its not a pro or anti war thread its about robot soldiers ?

[konfusion666]

i'm sure the first few revisions of these "robo-grunts" will have all the same bugs as ED-209... "somebody call a paramedic!"

[Degenerate]

Robot soldiers' bound for Iraq
Machine-gun equipped robot



Soldering on: A private firm helped the military make the robo-soldier
The US military is planning to deploy robots armed with machine-guns to wage war against insurgents in Iraq.

Eighteen of the 1m-high robots, equipped with cameras and operated by remote control, are going to Iraq this spring, the Associated Press reports.

The machine is based on a robot already used by the military to disable bombs.

Officials say the robot warrior is fast, accurate and will track and attack the enemy with relatively little risk to the lives of US soldiers.

Unlike its human counterparts, the armed robot does not require food, clothing, training, motivation or a pension.

When not needed in war, it can be mothballed in a warehouse.

However, the robot will rely on its human operator, remotely studying footage from its cameras, for the order to open fire.

According to Bob Quinn, a manager with Foster-Miller, the US-based company which worked with the military to develop the robot, the only difference for a soldier is that "his weapon is not at his shoulder, it's up to half a mile away".

Test of metal

The robot fighter has been christened Swords, after the acronym for Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems.



Robot soldier
Machine-gun equipped robot
Can be fitted with standard-issue M249 or M240 rifle
Has four cameras, night-vision and zoom lenses
Can travel over rocks and barbed wire
Batteries run for up to 4 hours at a time
Remote control unit has two joysticks and video screen
Costs $200,000 (£106,757) per unit

It is based on the Talon robot, which is widely used by the military to disarm bombs.

A US officer who helped test the robot said it was a more accurate shot than the average soldier because it is mounted on a stable platform and takes aim electronically.

"It eliminates the majority of shooting errors you have," said Staff Sgt Santiago Tordillos.

Mr Quinn says there are plans to replace the computer screen, joysticks and keypad in the remote-control unit with a Gameboy-style controller and virtual-reality goggles.

The Foster-Miller company is owned by the QinetiQ Group, a joint venture between the UK's Ministry of Defence and US-based holding company, Carlyle Group.

[d_jedi]

Ah, the wisdom of the Simpsons:

"The battles of the future will not be fought on a battleground or at sea, they will be fought in space. Or at the top of a very tall mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by small robots. And as you go forward today, your duty is clear, to build and maintain those robots. Thank you."

[charger]

I've seen these things in action on TV. They can go up stair and shoot doors open, they are wicked fast too. But I see them as being really easy to take out. No matter how armored they are, one bullet hitting a lense and the thing would be helpless.

[steve.m]

some one has to figure out how to make portable nuclear power supplies, so we can have Terminators and MechWarriors on the battlefield.

[danfromwaterloo]

Nah, this thing is going to turn into that evil robot from Robocop 2...the one that goes insane and kills everything in site?

Oh well...death toll would probably be less than the usual military anyways.

Here's a scary thought: if these things work well, what's stopping the US from just invading every country it wishes? Often, the largest preventative reason is the loss of life incurred by soldiers (ie. Vietnam, Iraq, etc). If you can go to war with little or no loss of life, war doesn't seem so bad...

But on the other side of the coin, there's a very easy strategy to beat these suckers:

BMFEM: Big Motherf*ckin Electromagnet