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USMC Shows Off New Toys
jonerik writes "And speaking of the future of unmanned combat, Wired today has this article on several new toys being developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Dragon Eye is a small remote-controlled airplane which can be disassembled and carried in a field pack. The Dragon Runner is a miniature camera-equipped wheeled truck about the size of a shoebox which can be sent into dangerous areas as a scout. The Dragon Warrior is a small unmanned helicopter which looks like a toilet seat with wings. Perhaps most intriguing is a device unofficially dubbed the RoboLobster, which skitters around on eight mechanical legs, detecting and disarming mines. Although the Dragon Eye is scheduled for deployment next year, the other three devices are still in the development stage."
We modeled the controller after the PlayStation2, because that's what these 18-, 19-year-old Marines have been playing with pretty much all of their lives," said Maj. Greg Heines
Things have been brought to light recently, and demonstrated tragically to us Canadians what these 18-19 yo playstation players can do with a little knowledge and too much power. I know this isn't a jet with a supposedly mature pilot at the helm, but it demonstrates to me the regard that the US military has for the maturity of its underlings.
I just can't imagine a future where the jets that bomb us accidentally don't even have a pilot at the helm to ask "why?".