Free Republic

The US Army is considering replacing thousands of soldiers with robots as it deals with sweeping troop cuts. A senior American officer has said he is considering shrinking the size of the Army’s brigade combat teams by a quarter and replacing the lost troops with robots and remote-controlled vehicles. The American military is still far from fielding armies of Terminator-type robotic killers, though. Ideas under discussion instead include proposals to see manned trucks and transporters replaced by supply trains of robot vehicles. Generals are studying proposals as the US Army is to slim down from 540,000 to about 490,000 soldiers...

Robotic Technology Inc. EATR robots roam a barren landscape as an unmanned drone flies overhead in an artist's rendering. EATR robots roam a barren landscape as an unmanned drone flies overhead in an artist's rendering. It could be a combination of 19th-century mechanics, 21st-century technology — and a 20th-century horror movie. A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies.