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CMU's Snooping Robot Headed for Iraq

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the listening-devices-on-wheels dept.

mike_the_kid writes "Here's an interesting article about a robot near the end of development at CMU. It's a four-wheeler called the Dragon Runner. This robot has no 'right side up,' so no matter which way it lands, its ready to go. The user (currently projected to be a US Marine) throws the robot over a fence or up a flight of stairs. The robot has cameras that send live video back to the operator, and directional microphones that can relay as well. A cool feature is that it can tell the operator where there is movement (via audio or tactile feedback)." We first mentioned the Dragon Runner a while back, but the previous article was more about the Dragon Eye, a small remote-controlled airplane.

4 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Minority Report by ninejaguar · · Score: 5, Funny
    In a few years, it'll have spider legs, climb on your face, and poke you in the eye.

    = 9J =

  2. like a blackbox... by slashrogue · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We've thrown it out of second- and third-story windows," said Capt. Dave Moreau, project officer for Dragon Runner at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Va. "We've thrown it off the back of a moving vehicle at 45 miles an hour."

    If they can make the robot out of this stuff, why not make the whole Marine out of it?

  3. Re:June 30, eh? by LostCluster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just like the infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech, June 30th is just another mile marker that'll cause people to think that the war is over, when really it won't be.

    June 30 is not the day that US troops will walk out leaving the country alone, it's just the day that Paul Bremer gives his authority to Iraqis that the USA will hand pick and announce shortly.

    Iraq still doesn't have a stable military or police force that's capable of stamping down warlords who declare themselves mayor of a town, and until that is established, there's no way legit government would be able to survive the challenges from such insurgents.

    So, at least the frist attempt at forming a stable Iraqi government will happen on June 30th... but that still is a long way from America being out of there.

  4. Right Side Up! by yintercept · · Score: 5, Funny
    This robot has no 'right side up,' so no matter which way it lands, its ready to go.

    Personally, I don't know if sending more things that don't know "right side up" to Iraq is a good decision at this point.