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Army Looks at Robotic Dogs
mr. squishie writes "Someone important must have gotten an Aibo...According to Wired news, the Army's Tank-automotive and Armaments Command has just awarded a $2.5 million contract to build a prototype of a large robot dog that would follow soldiers into battle and carry food, ammunition, and medical supplies. This is apparently part of a larger movement by various branches of the military investigating the uses of robots based on various types of wildlife, ranging from engine-repairing robot elephant trunks and mine-destroying robot lobsters to the cliched robot-fly-spy-on-the-wall trick. I wonder if they're looking into giant robot anteaters as an alternative to costly bunker-buster bombs?"
Its called a mule.
Ah hell, I really can't bring myself to type it. I deeply apologise for my descent into Slashdotism. It won't happen again. I promise. Honest.
Cheers,
Ian
I wonder if they're looking into giant robot anteaters as an alternative to costly bunker-buster bombs?
Why not? After all, they've already got a giant robot chimpanzee as an alternative to a defense secretary.
<rimshot>These sigs are more interesting tha
I've no problem with this idea if they don't call any of the dogs "Beagle."
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When the early prototype mysteriously faild to deliver the food, an investigation revealed that they had foolishly based the design on Scooby Doo.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
I wonder if they're looking into giant robot anteaters as an alternative to costly bunker-buster bombs?"
Who is deploying giant robot ants? If no one is deployiong such a weapon, why are we creating something to eat them?
If I were a soldier, the first thing I'd do is reprogram my dog to walk ahead of me, not behind me. Let it step on the landmines, absorb enemy fire, etc.
Oh wait, this robot is worth $2.5m, eh? Ah, now I understand why the soldier is in front.
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I wonder if they're looking into giant robot anteaters as an alternative to costly bunker-buster bombs?
How about AT-AT's?
Garg
Garg
Alumnus, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
Why not work on GIANT KILLER robot soliders? If your going for robots, you might as well go all the way. I hear the Japanese have some interesting designs for giant robots. Something about a facination with them.
...wait till you see the Army's $349,000 pooper scoopers for said dogs.
But then we'd h ave to agree with other countries as to what color our lazer weapons would be( USA = red, russia = blue, france = pink, etc.) so we can finally have a full scale GI Joe-esque presentation. If you've going to have war you need to see who's winning.
Does this mean we'd have a robo-geraldo "entrenched" with the other robots?
-or so you'd think
I wonder if they're looking into giant robot anteaters as an alternative to costly bunker-buster bombs?
Licking terrorists to death is probably SOME violation of the Geneva Convention!
It also had to work in the extreme conditions of outer space:
In a vacuum. - With no gravity. - In hot temperatures of +150C in sunlight and also in the cold shadows of space where the temperatures drop to -120C."
Hopefully they meant it had to work AFTER BEING IN the extreme conditions of space. Because if anyone ever makes me write something when it is -120C, I think I may stab them with the pen instead.
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
Why not work on GIANT KILLER robot soliders?
Egos not withstanding, the various punk warlords around the world that give us problems are not really giants. Indeed, since Ulysses blinded the Cyclops, giants haven't caused any trouble for the most part. So robot soldiers need to just kill regular sized people.
aha! I should have said, KILLER GIANT robot soliders to clarify. The soliders should be robots, and giant, and killers. Good point about there not being any giants causing trouble anymore.
But then we'd h ave to agree with other countries as to what color our lazer weapons would be( USA = red, russia = blue, france = pink, etc.) ...
No, no, no! Don't you know the laws of movie physics! Good is higher than evil on the on the electromagnetic spectrum. That's why good guys always use blue energy and bad guys always use red energy. Using red lasers would make US the evil empire, instead of... of...
I, uh.. hey, what's that's shiny distraction over there!
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