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Battle Roomba Tractor
jazzstep writes "This article on MSNBC introduces an interesting new duo on the robotics front. iRobot and John Deere have teamed up to create a new battle-ready robot for the Pentagon."
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They better hope that the battlefield doesn't have any corners for the "battle roomba" to get stuck in...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
"All your dust bunnies are belong to us."
Okay, works for me.
http://www.busyweather.com/
So,
1) why the driver's seat then?
2) will it show a preference for attacking house cats?
"Wow. Now THAT'S a lot of angry Indians." - Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer
...They definitely need a strobing set of red lights that goes from side to side at the front of the car.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Why does it takes so much money to make a remote control car? Don't we have those for kids like ages ago for less then $100? Scales it up, still doesn't justify the high price.
it would transform too! Room-bots, roll out!
Great new market for them I'm sure. /me decides to wait for robotic appliances not produced by a company making military gear.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
Does the idea of putting artifical intelligence into a killing machine make anyone else a little nervous?
Asimov will twist and turn in his grave, what about the Laws of Robotics?!
BattleBot and Robot.. they don't mix!
Online backup with Mozy, sounds like Ozzie, but more!
"You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"
That's the obligatory response to any robot battles in the Pentagon.
RC would be more fitting than robot status. This one will be controlled via human interface remotely whereas a robot having AI enough to maneuver on its own making decisions doesnt need a human at least for periods of time.
Welcome back to 82'!
Reminds me of a bad film I once saw. Short Circuit had the cuteness that iRobots have... with John Deere traction! Maybe it'll evolve this way?
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
So the John Deere part chops the enemies up into little pieces, and the roomba part vacuums them up?
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I'm surprised the military hasn't done this before. We already have drone planes that fly via remote. Granted, they have very little AI and only perform one task (reconaissance), but I would have thought that the military would have started off with a land robot/roomba/automated car. I can certainly see more uses for one, like if troops are pinned down in a dangerous environment, etc.
Two old farmers, one chewing a stalk of wheat.
"Abe, you gettin some new equipment for the next harvest?"
"Yep, I was gonna get me one of them Aytonomous Assault Vehicles to help in the south field."
"the 312?"
"nah, the 412, it's got the bailer attachment on the rear gun deck."
"John Deer always did make good AAV's"
"hell it'll get rid of the varmints too"
Think of all the time it will waste killing people over and over again.
If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
Features
a few weeks ago DARPA shown project aimed at building robot based on Seagway, and now Pentagon and John Deere - a tractor engineer. Don't you think that they are quite innovative sometimes?
An example slashdot article coming in the next few years.. "Introducting ...
John's Deere and OCP presents the first robotic crossing guard.
The ED209
With optional gattling gun hardpoint and patented "forget and fire" technology."
Don't you just love it when companines/movies get their names mixed up..
TheLogster
i bet this beast of war is designed to cut the grass that the enemies are hiding in, while also airating the soil and destroying the massive amounts of illicit drugs they are obviously harvesting. And even cooler, the thing is really scary and quiet and at night sneaks up on their encampments to demoralize them!!! Nothing runs like a deere. 'Cept an enemy, running from a deere.
And in other news, North Korea has just started work on its new defense -- fringed rugs!
What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
"My killbot has lotus notes and a machine gun."
Will it be in Miltary green, or John Deere green?
Is it wrong that I wouldn't know of Roomba if it weren't for Achewood?
I wonder what OS that thing runs on and if it has wireless networking.
You dont want the "enemy" to hack into the robots and send them back to attack the creators ?
...mow down the enemy...
Yes.
So seriously, can this thing mow my lawn by itself? And, unlike my Roomba, will it be able to traverse 1/8" computer cables?
You can also get a John Deere Bicycle.
John Deere, it's not just for rednecks anymore.
The drone planes can also attack remotely now (hellfire missiles).
Flying is actually easier than driving because you don't have to worry about terrain and collisions as much. Take something as simple as a hill. The calculations and sensors to figure out that it's a hill, not a curb or other blockage, then figure out whether the slope is within climbing margins, etc, is actualy quite difficult. We're getting there, but people and animals have the equivalent of a supercomputer neural net trained for years just for processing visual information for this.
I don't read AC A human right
Just throw some speaker wire in front of this thing and it will be snared! Works every time with my Roomba but at least once you untangle it, it will find its home and recharge.
welcome our autonomous dust-sucking made-in-the-USA robot tractor overlords.
Tragedy strikes as the military's "seek, locate, EXTERMINATE!" commands are accidently downloaded into every combine and tractor in North America.
Maximum Overdrive, indeed.
"Nothing kills like a Deere"
Windows XP SP2 told me to install third-party software that prevents viruses and protects stability... I chose Ubuntu
Yes this is a huge "wheel" forward for the military. But I understand that for safety reasons (running over of friendly troops) the spec still calls for a soldier to walk in front of the machine waving a red Flag to warn our troops. If, however, he sees the enemy he switches immediately to waving a Green Flag to crush our enemies.
"Depending on battlefield circumstances, the vehicle could be controlled remotely, freeing up the soldiers inside it for other tasks" gives a whole new meaning to car sex...
Brings new meaning to "Nothing Runs Like A Deere".
12:50 - press return.
Armageddon is going to be a hell of a lot cleaner now !
Apparently the DOD has put a high priority on frightening the enemy's pets.
-B
That wimpy little buggy looks like a Kerry solution.e s/9020.html
Heres the model they should've used. http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/FR/seri
I can see sending one of these in to a battlefield or warzone.Big enough to do what it wants,when it wants,where it wants.Just armor it up,fit it with cameras,guns and a sound system(for "ride of the valkyries" of course) and a blade to fill in any foxholes it encounters. Turn it loose to harvest info and enemy.
*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
"Depending on battlefield circumstances, the vehicle could be controlled remotely, freeing up the soldiers inside it for other tasks, Greiner said." ;)
So you're putting your driver in a box somewhere behind the frontlines and letting him drive a vehicle full of people into what may be a dangerous battlezone, and without the full feedback of actually being there. Sounds like a bad idea to me, but if I get drafted I want that job.
You are talking here about using a farm type weight hauling implement (with a pretty inferior engine compared to a real tractor if you must know, and a really inferior carburetor), and using it for mission critical warfare applications. I am familiar with these things and various other farm type implements. A 25 cent caltrop WILL significantly slow down this 250 thousand dollar machine. A freaking WILD MULTIFLORA ROSE BUSH with thorns will slow one down. Seen it. Perhaps joe mod doesn't know what a caltrop is? A five dollar IED designed to spread PAINT or even free used crankcase oil will blind one of these things, again, making them useless. A simple covered pit that is two feet deep will probably break it enough to stop it if it is traveling at any speed. 3 feet deep and it's stuck AND broken, not moving at all. Given any ASW grunt with one backpack full of *cheap* gear, he could deal with several of these things successfully. It is a typical military industrial complex profit centered boondoggle, this is PORK.
It's not remote controlled at all, it's being controlled by a farmer using his secret cloaking device. You can see the seat right through him!
Making it remote controlled would be way too difficult.
It can't do any worse than some of the vehicles with drivers I've seen going around the Pentagon!
..... not the roundabout near the cricket ground, where the A61, A52 and the main road out of Derby come together? (Ordnance Survey ref. SK363365) Damn!
Oh, wait
--
If you think this is off-topic, you probably just aren't from Derby. Please mod -0, didn't get joke.
Diddent one of the nuts in Spaced Invaders already cook this up? Was called a Farmzoid. Use as a deversion I think.
Does the idea of putting artifical intelligence into a killing machine make anyone else a little nervous?
Are these unmanned drones used in Israel AI-driven?
The article says, the drone killed two 14- and 15-year-old children.
Does anybody know about these?
I don't need a signature.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Will it come in any color other than John Deere Green?
Someone shoot this guy if he ever comes within a mile of a plane.
The cruise missle system was such an achievement precisly because it did worry about the terrain. It could follow the terrain at low level flying between hills and other obstructions to its target.
Same with the tornado aircraft wich again is so effective because it is constantly trying to keep as close as possible to the terrain while avoid collisions.
This stuff is actually very very complex and so far can only be done when the computer on board knows exactly what to expect and is having plenty of power to spare (both the missle and missle don't really have to worry about weather conditions as the more glider based predator) to climb or turn as needed.
Yes on the ground you have some other aspects but you have some huge advantages. You can reverse (something that is very very hard to do in a jet) have a turning circle that is not measured in miles. Have brakes that actually slow you before the end of the centurie and can always just stand still and look around.
Also most storms do not tend to blow a car all over the place, try flying a remote in anything but a calm wind and you will agree that a car is just so much easier.
Flying is not easier then driving. You gain some ease in detecting obstacles (everything you detect is an obstacle to be avoided) but loose in having to control something in a far more fluid enviroment. A car driving up an incline that is to steep will simply come to a stop. An aircraft trying to climb to fast to avoid a hill will either stall and crash or plow into the hill.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Amazing. Did not think you could overload a site like MSNBC.com. Guess I was wrong!
I'm paying $250K for these things. What a con!
particularly in cornrows or hayfields. air-conditioned cab is extra. CD player is standard.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
I for one, welcome our tracterBot overlords...
Vote Kodos!!!
Clean your room.... or else.
In response to this recent product announcement several middle eastern countries have purchased large quantities of the Roomba Virtual Wall accessories and it is rumored that these are being installed along territory borders.
Magic Eight Ball: Outlook not so good., Hmmm, how about Excel and Word?
... the reason for the mishap was human error. Particularly in the case of VINCENNES, if the crew had attended to the data the ship was providing, they would not have shot down the airliner.
Sean
Hey too bad this isn't available in Iraq yet. once the roomba get's into range of the enemy, all it has to do is suck and blow. Imagine sandblasting the enemy until the batteries run out!!!
Thanks, Beannie
In line with the National Secrets Act, it appears that iRobot does not export its highly sensitive technology outside of the US. Until such a time as virtual walls maybe placed on the Northern Boarder, Canada will continue to be able to enjoy the privillege of having its lawns floors vacumed.
In other news, Lego Mindscape have teamed up with Ferrari to produce an autonomous sports car which gives the appearance of its being driven by a man with a large yellow head.
Why didn't it win the Darpa Grand Challenge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge ?
No vehicle in the contest made it more than seven miles. If this vehicle is ready for production, why wasn't it out winning the contest earlier this year?
(For those who don't know Japanese/aren't anime otaku, Anime Ja Nai is the title of the opening song for a series called Gundam ZZ, which is (in essence) about large robots. It's literal meaning is ``It's not anime'' (vis. story department) )
Not sure it's so special. Doesn't say much about AI, just your standard run of the mill flying cirvalance plane.
The ultimate test of this thing would be in the run-down area of a town somewhere in the UK after 22.30 on a Friday night. It's only good if (1) it's not alight; and (2) it's still got all its wheels.
the better.
I know you're afraid of the ole Hal 9000 syndrome.
But I'm afraid of the opposite... robots without inhibitions.
what happens when the guy we elect as "root" goes nuts and uses the robots to subjugate us all into his own personal slaves?
At least human soldiers have to believe in what they are doing... which makes gradual enslavement SLIGHTLY more difficult to do within a 4-8 year period.
It's cool, but if it's too wide to fit through the Stargate, the MALP will never be replaced.
Until they can do the MIT robotic vehicle 'test' I'd be nervous....
:-) (ouch)
Or maybe the roomba will be to pass that test first and 'clean up' the prize
I figured a Battle Roomba would look more like Ziggo.
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Mesh back John Deere Battle Helmets.
i was really expecting somethign way more interesting that a remote controlled jeep :-P
john deere has some cool robotics check this out for instance.. A 6 legged robot the size of a car.
big robot
now put guns ont hat and we've got something cool.
------
insert sig here,here, and here
See our video (6MB, Quicktime) here. This is our DARPA Grand Challenge vehicle.
Anything that makes killing towelheads more efficient is good with me.
Hopefully that pussy Kerry doesn't get elected and cut the program.
I am already becoming emotionally attached to my Bolo Mark I.
Nearly every chapter in the book was its own little story about how yet another robot goes haywire because of its slavish adherence to the three laws.
The reason why they went haywire is because the laws worked. They were ment to cease if they were to disobey any of the laws.
He's saying, three immutable laws for Robots doesn't work, why should Man limit himself by the ten laws given to him by God?
Will it repond to human voice ala hal9000 or furby?
Bottom 92/100 on IMDB!
Not as much of a concern. Yes, there are all sorts of hairy things that can happen on a plane. But I was answering about why we have robot planes/cruise missiles when we can't even make an autopilot for a truck on the highway.
You can reverse
Not very quickly at 55-75 mph, and not even at 25 if the AI isn't quick enough. Besides, do you want to reverse after smaking into a wierdly painted sign at 65, or do you think inching along at 5-10 mph is sufficient?
Flying is not easier then driving. You gain some ease in detecting obstacles (everything you detect is an obstacle to be avoided) but loose in having to control something in a far more fluid enviroment. A car driving up an incline that is to steep will simply come to a stop. An aircraft trying to climb to fast to avoid a hill will either stall and crash or plow into the hill.
And for many vehicles today if the "hill" is too steep to climb, the car is just as capable of crashing into it. My point was that planes don't have to worry about all sorts of little "crash" objects if they stay high enough.
Terrestrial life devotes quite a bit of brainpower to handling this, but so far technology has conquered robotic flight better.
I don't read AC A human right
I sure hope they seriously modified the AI from the Roomba because as someone who lives in a house that has a roomba, I can say I wouldn't want that thing on the battlefield:
*Run over soldier
*turn right
*Run over soldier
*turn right
*no soldiers around
*spiral until run over soldier
SIGFAULT
"We will grease the treads of our robots with the bodies of their infidel children. The enemy's streets will run red with their blood as our untiring robot armies crush them flat. We will build and deploy huge armies of killer robots until the last terrorists, their familes, friends, and relatives lie dead and the scourge of terrorism is wiped from the face of the earth. God Bless America and President George W. Bush Jr!"
Does it bother anyone else that due to our inability to stop needing to kill one another to acheive our political goals, the human race seems to blithely be living out the plot of the Terminator franchise?
It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries
I knew some folks who built a vehicle based robot in the early '90s that had some unique problems. They used an off-road vehicle, a VME bus computer, and a Honda generator (not enough power from the vehicle).
First they had problems with intermittent software errors. They couldn't find a common software problem so they started looking at the hardware. After changing out every board in the VME chassis, they finally tracked the problem back to the vehicle engine. As an off-road vehicle, it used old fashioned spark plugs that caused real RFI (automobiles have a resistor that minimizes this problem). So the first lesson - if you have software problems in your vehicle robot, change your spark plugs.
Every time the system would brake really hard, the entire CPU would reset. Again, lots of debugging, culminating in the discovery that the Honda generator had a low oil safety shutoff. Whenever the vehicle braked hard, the oil all flowed away from the oil level sensor, causing the generator to shutdown, blipping the power, and causing the CPU to reset. Second lesson - if you have system software problems, change your oil (sensor).
iRobet and JD have a booth at the annual AUSA (Association of the US Army) conference. I thought it was a reference to some wierd Asimov / lawn tractor combo. Guess I'll have to swing by tomorow.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
From the pic, it appears to be a version of the John Deere Gator
We use them at work, and the gas models aren't very sturdy. They are a maintaince nightmare.
Good if it works - and if it's used right. Imagine this:
R-Gator patrols perimeter of outpost in Auto Mode. Soldiers inside see something (e.g.: gunsmoke) and switch it to Manual. After the vehicle is close enough, the operator confirms their suspicions through the A/V sensors on board. The soldiers throw grenades. Meanwhile, the operator (now in control via RC Mode) sends the R-Gator around to another position while the soldiers ready their Assault Rifles.
Of course, this requires strategic planning, logical thinking, and thinking in general - not what we've come to expect from the gung-ho US military. They'd probably just lock out the Manual mode and kamikaze the trapped troops into the enemy.
1 RPG = $250000 of taxpayers money.
US-UK-Israel: The real Axis of Evil