Soldiers Bond with Bomb-Defusing Robots

hdtv writes "Reuters is running a story that talks about the emotional bonds that US soldiers develop with the robots in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The company, most famous on the US market for its Roomba vacuum cleaner, provided '300 PackBot Tactical Mobile Robots deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to open doors in urban combat, lay fiber-optic cable, defuse bombs and perform other hazardous duties previously done by humans alone.'"

Comments

Let me be the first to say "Thank You!"

[PenguinBoyDave]

As a Disabled American Veteran and member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, let me say Thank You! This technology is long over-due.

Re:Let me be the first to say "Thank You!"

[MightyMait]

Agreed!! Next step, robots to do *all* the killing and dying. Heck, while we're at it, let's just skip to fighting all our wars in emulators.

Re:Let me be the first to say "Thank You!"

[kalirion]

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

Re:This is news?

[LWATCDR]

Probably has been done many times.
Think about ships. In the West they are given a female gender. "She is a good ship". Airplanes often are named and given nose art. This isn't anything new. It is a machine you depend on. It is comforting to think that it some how cares for you and will try to do all that it can to keep you safe. Since it is so willing to help you it seems only natural that you would care for it back. All very human and emotional.

Glueing robot

[gibbled]

I wish I had a robot that could apply glue.

Would be much easier to bond with.

Been going on for years

[Darth_brooks]

Soliders name their rifles, Pilots paint nose art on the planes. Roman legions probably named their swords. You develop an attachment to the things that you rely on and that serve you well. You can't trust that your buddy won't get killed tomorrow, but you can trust the fact that your M-16 will work as advertised.

Re:This is news?

[idontgno]

Another famous example: Bill Maudlin's cartoon of a World War II soldier about to sorrowfully "put down" a broken Jeep, a la a broken-down cavalry horse.

People anthromorphize. Soldiers are people. Therefore soldiers anthromorphize. QED.

Ask a paramedic

[theonetruekeebler]

If somebody depends on a piece of equipment to protect his life, he develops a bond to it. For example, motorcyclists (seasoned ones, anyway) ride with a heavy thought in their mind: "If I fuck this up, I die." Then they move in a certain way and the bike moves like it's a part of them and they're both out of trouble. Riders really, really bond with their bikes, 'cause their bikes keep them happy and alive.

So if you ever have a conversation with a paramedic, ask them about bike accidents they've responded to. Ask them what the motorcyclist keeps saying over and over again. The guy will have bone sticking out of his leg, and all he'll say is, "Dude! Is my bike okay?"

Seasoned EMTs have a canned response: "Couple of dings, paint's scratched, but she'll be fine." Once you get that thought of the rider's head you can get around to the "oriented times three" questions.