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."

Comments

GPLed autonomous aerial robots

[tramm]

If you're interested in experimenting with these sorts of things, check out http://autopilot.sourceforge.net/. We're building the inertial sensors (IMU, GPS+INS) and writing the software to control autonomous helicopters.

If you just want to try flying one, we have also have written an OpenGL simulator.

Here's your change to try it without signing up for the Marines.

RC vehicles used before by USMC

[gurudyne]

When the Marines took Kuwait City in the Gulf Warr, they drove RC worn-out trucks through the "impenetrable" mine fields.