New model army, US sends robo-soldier to Iraqi battlefields

BBC News ^ | 2005 Feb 3 | Christen Thomson

[Wiz]

The US army has announced that it will introduce robot soldiers into combat operations in Iraq this spring. The robo-soldiers cost $200,000 each and are operated by remote control. Christen Thomson reports.

Click the "source URL" to watch the video.

[Wiz]

Die hard terminators, something more dangerous than the suicide bombers.

[Allegra]

I guess I won't be casually running into any of these robo-troops in the chow hall.

But maybe they'll participate in "Talent Night" at the MWR.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

Wiz wrote:
Die hard terminators, something more dangerous than the suicide bombers

*Can you imagine the look on the faces of the enemy when they hear stories about our "Terminators" that we're building now lol.

[A CA Guy]

Wait till the enemy finds they run on pork...

[Myrddin]

A lot of money to spend on an item that can be defeated with a blanket. The robot is driven remotely by a human watching via a camera. Toss a blanket over it and the human is blind. The robot is then useless and vulnerable. A can of spray paint on the camera lens works when you need to retrieve the blanket.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

A CA Guy wrote:
Wait till the enemy finds they run on pork...


P-O-R-K, the other white fuel... The Jihads necks will snap when they get the smell off those dual exhaust terminator naustrils and those red eyes are staring at them as the jihad craps their designer made bomber panties...... So can the terminators run off pork and litium ion pack?

[endthematrix]

You have to get past the mounted rockets and machine guns first.

[Giliad]

I do believe the robots have arms that can be used to remove the blanket. They also have guns. Get close enough to use spray paint and you're already dead. Think about throwing a blanket over our troops head to defeat them or trying to spray paint their eyes and see if that doesn't sound silly. ;)

[Myrddin]

Let's see how they do in the field. Blankets, cargo nets and snares made of aircraft control cable are viable means of blinding and trapping the devices. Running it over with a standard automobile is viable too. Especially if you have a martyr mindset. $500 junker crushes $200,000 robot.

[gortklattu]

The new terminator machines being used by the US look like large sows. They approach the enemy, absorbing all the bullets, then stand erect. As the Islamicist screams and throws his empty AK47 at the large pig, it opens its hide and envelops the now terrified human.

It then prances around the islamopukes friends. The arms of the dying warrior are sticking out of the seams while the screams of the dying islamic warrior can stil be heard by all.

Then, with a volume that causes echoes throughout the countryside, the pig belches.

[Giliad]

You can do all of those same things to a human. Our troops are dooooooooooooooooooooooooooomed!!! They're all going to be run over, trapped by nets and blankets, and spray painted. The people running the robots probably have brains and aren't going to have the robot stand out in front of a tank and not move, or stand out in the middle of broad daylight so they can have a net dropped on them. They also have weapons. The same weapons our troops use to blow up tanks, aircraft, and jihadists. I think the people who design these are a little smarter than you're giving them credit for. I'm sure they thought of these things.

[endthematrix]

One dead martyr, many GI deaths prevented.

[Giliad]

These aren't meant to replace our troops by the way. I can think of a million good uses. Imagine a building that may or may not have terrorists hiding in it. Instead of sending in one of our men to find out, and possibly get blown up, you send in the robot. Robots can be made with better senses, "hearing", etc. making it easier for them to locate people. If they get blown up, the life of one of our troops was still saved. Would you rather pay 200,000 for a new robot, or a 200,000 death benefit to the family (I believe this is the amount they are trying to raise the death benefit to).

[Beckwith]

Let's see how they do in the field. Blankets, cargo nets and snares made of aircraft control cable are viable means of blinding and trapping the devices. Running it over with a standard automobile is viable too. Especially if you have a martyr mindset. $500 junker crushes $200,000 robot.

These robots will not be operating in a vacuum. You do know that there will be operators nearby. These operators will be military personnel who are themselves armed.

If a terrorist comes out of his hole to "spray paint" or "blanket" the robot. Ping! Dead sucker. "Anyone else wanna try that?

[peyton randolph]

Looks great. Let's just hope it doesn't run on a Microsoft Windows OS.

[Irishguy]

ha ha ha...did u see how fast it moved...definietely not windows LOL!!!

seriously tho...
like any weapon it has its limitations...you could also do the spray paint job on a tank. any weapons system on its own is vulnerable...

personally i think, this is the beginning of a new wave...

it will work, with problems, some disasters...just like the drones in the sky...but does anyone really think this is now going to change the face of war...
imagine a marine who is cheesed off you destroyed his last soldier...and just keeps returning....just to find you

and also they will drop from 200K once the volume appears

[kingu]

Cute toy.

As always, the problems with these range from effective tunnel vision, insufficient interface, and the delicate touch of a twenty pound bowling ball. And that is going to be the problem so long as they continue to buy these things from military contractors.

It is really time for them to look outside the box; dig into our robotics assets at the college level and start fresh with new designs. Even if the mechanicals stay the same, the interface and vision systems need to be drastically improved, and they'll never get it from the current crop of contractors.

Drop the whistles, and you've got one hell of a great mine detector; as for active combat operations - by the time you get this thing unpacked, the operator rigged up, and it sent into the field, all you're going to accomplish is separating the Darwin Award candidates from the field. Anyone with any brains will just move on outside of the likely very limited range of these devices.

Another reasonable use for them would be to equip them with a heavy surveillance kit and use them as remote sentries. Or the use which they've already proved themselves useful, examining suspicious objects to determine if they are explosive devices. But the likely uses for these things will be situations where they're ill-equiped to handle it; a distraction on the battlefield where we can hardly use one today.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

and also they will drop from 200K once the volume appears

Maybe in time for next Christmas? I think I need one.

[SauronOfMordor]

We generally don't send single humans out on patrol. I doubt we will send single robots out either

I would think the robots would be employed with a human squad to "take point", and be the first to look around corners and walk down the street. It would be covered at all times by its human buddies.

When operating without nearby humans, you would employ them in mutually-supporting formations

[KeyWest]

The terrorists captured the first prototype, didn't they? I know it was in the news. Looked just like a GI.