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: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.