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Soldiers Bond with Bomb-Defusing Robots

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the friendly-neighborhood-sacrificial-robot dept.

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.'"

3 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. Bingo! by MarkusQ · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Ok, I just had a great idea that I don't have time to follow up on. So I'll offer it here for anyone who wants to to run with, with my blessing.

    From today:

    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.

    From day before yesterday:

    A recent post on the CERIAS weblogs examines the risks associated with reporting vulnerabilities. In the end, he advises that the risks (in one situation, at least) were almost not worth the trouble, and gives advice on how to stay out of trouble. Is it worth it to report vulnerabilities despite the risks, or is the chilling effect demonstrated here too much?

    and:

    The NY Times is reporting on a statement from US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales declaring that journalists may be prosecuted by the federal government for publishing classified information. On the 1st amendment ramifications: "'But it can't be the case that that right trumps over the right that Americans would like to see, the ability of the federal government to go after criminal activity,' he said. 'And so those two principles have to be accommodated.'" So our 1st amendment rights don't trump the right of the federal government to violate them?

    See where I'm going with this? Somebody needs to develop are robot that can tell the truth even when powerful people want the truth kept secret. I can think of a ton of uses for it already.

    --MarkusQ

  2. Number 5 is Alive! by MrSteveSD · · Score: 0, Redundant

    No disassemble, no disassemble! Sorry, I couldn't resist that.

  3. Sad by javamann · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Kinda sad that after three year since "Mission Accomplished" it is still an environment that they need robots.