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South Korea To Develop Army and Police Robots

JonathanGCohen writes "South Korea is planning on developing an advanced line of robots for military and police use by the 2010 decade. A $34 million USD infusion of cash will spur development and result in robotic applications like security watchmen and eight-legged autonomous combat vehicles. "

13 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. Haven't we explored this option before? by MagicDude · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply.

  2. The important question. by interactive_civilian · · Score: 5, Funny
    Will they be able to find Sarah Connor?

    Oops, wrong web site.

    /slashie

    --
    "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
  3. Robots watching robots by zymurgy_cat · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder....will the robot security guards watch robot football all night long when I visit my customers' plants on the midnight shift....or rather, when my robot visits the plant for me......

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    -- Fugacity: Confusing chemists since 1908
  4. Cold, emotionless, enforcement drones ... by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the US we call them "State Troopers"

  5. That bothers me. by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the USA, the military is not allowed to interfere with civilian matters (that was until recently). One of the advantages of this, is that it is so enforced in the military, that most would rebel against any attempted military coup or an attempt to convert America to a dictatorship. But a robot will not likely have a sense of ethics. They would gladly do exactly what the current leader says, be it Clinton (for you republicans) or GWB (for the rest of us).

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  6. Jump a head to the end goal by Belseth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Already the leaders stay home and play armchair warfare. Next step is the soldiers stay home and play war like a video game. It's been around for years folks, it's called Robot Wars. I say the leaders of each country build the best fighting robot then they can duke it out and nobody gets hurt and we save billions of dollars. Got a border dispute? Whoever can build the best fighting machine wins? It levels the playing field, saves time and money and by far the most important it saves lives. Don't like a level playing field? Try talking out your problems like civilized people do.

  7. I, for one, by Douglas+Simmons · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our incoming flood of posts in this syntax.

  8. The Cops, The Criminals & The Civil Fruitcakes by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the Robo-Cops hits the streets, the invention of small EMP grenades won't be too far behind. As an American citizen, do I have the constitutional right to bear EMP grenades? Or would EMP grenades fall into the same classification as regular explosive grenades?

  9. Why is it the Koreans? by putko · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It seems there are a few patterns here:

    Japanese make friendly servant robots (to help old people).
    Koreans make battle/guard robots. With weapons. So humans don't have to fight.
    Americans make rescue robots, unmanned aerial vehicles.

    Doesn't this seem a bit odd? Why don't US companies try to make a friendly robot like the Japanese? Why are we so big on search and rescue? Why do the Koreans pour their precious money into killer bots?

    Why don't the Koreans make agricultural robots, so that humans don't have to toil in the fields? If we had those in the USA, we'd have a totally automated farming workforce. And where do the Europeans fit in here? What sort of robots do they want?

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    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
    1. Re:Why is it the Koreans? by swillden · · Score: 5, Funny

      Isn't it obvious? Duh...

      Japanese make friendly servant robots (to help old people).

      Japanese are lonely.

      Koreans make battle/guard robots. With weapons. So humans don't have to fight.

      Koreans are scared.

      Americans make rescue robots, unmanned aerial vehicles.

      Americans are lost.

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      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  10. Obligatory reference #1 by mezzaninemkii · · Score: 4, Funny

    police drone rush kekekekekeke ^_____________^

  11. Re:The Cops, The Criminals & The Civil Fruitca by Belseth · · Score: 4, Informative
    If the Robo-Cops hits the streets, the invention of small EMP grenades won't be too far behind. As an American citizen, do I have the constitutional right to bear EMP grenades? Or would EMP grenades fall into the same classification as regular explosive grenades?

    Two problems with that senerio. First EMP weapons at last word were still a rumor even for the military. If they do exist they would bulky and probably produce a fair amount of radiation. It isn't that easy to produce a field strong enough to knock out electronics.

    The other issue is if that were a risk it's possible to harden hardware electronics from EMP fields. A lot of military hardware is already. I'd be real surprised if it was ever possible to produce an EMP gernade. In some ways it's not that different than trying to make a nuclear hand gernade. They may have had them in Starship Troopers but they don't exist in the real world and there's no way to make one with current understanding of physics. Even the brief case bombs were never proven and those are considerably larger than a handgernade. I tend to believe they are possible from what I've read and seen but I'm not 100% convinced one has been made.

    There's far easier ways to take out a robot than an EMP bomb. Part of the draw back to most battle robots are they aren't really that tough. You'll notice most have stuck with a wheeled or tank tread approach. Wheels and tank treads are tougher and more efficent than walking machines. A two or four legged robot would have the same frailties as well as advantages of an animal with the same number of legs. The biggest problem always is trying to make motors small enough and strong enough to make walking possible. Equalling a human for strength, speed and endurance is far harder than it looks and it's a very long way to the bionic man.

  12. Re:Isaac Asimov would not have liked this! by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since when do people in the real world have to abide by some rules created by a dead author for use in his science FICTION books?

    *cough*SCIENTOLOGY*cough*

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    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?