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Another Robotic Vehicle to Help Soldiers
Roland Piquepaille writes "There are many teams of U.S. scientists working on robots able to find improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq before they can kill American soldiers. Today, let's look at an effort going on at Florida State University (FSU) to build unmanned ground vehicles that could save soldiers' lives. The researchers are creating complex algorithms to control these robots who will have to integrate many different factors such as the type of ground surface or obstacles that might block the vehicle's path. Some of these robots, which also could be used for civilian missions, are currently being tested at FSU. Read more for additional references and pictures of these robots which will have to navigate among dense obstacles."
Ha ha, just kidding. Maybe they'll post a news item about it.
I kinda like the layout. Still, I'm gonna check my preferences to see if I have other options...
-- thinkyhead software and media
... beacuse he was run over by an unmanned transport vehicle!
Hell, just crank up the bandwidth for remote-control vehicles and bots, and outsource the whole damned war. I'm already working on an Abu Graihb torture module.
Table-ized A.I.
So when will these new robots start appearing in the game?
My eyes! They burn from the strain of reading the small letters.
Any moment now I expect robot rights groups to form and start protesting this cruel and unusual treatment of our robot friends. (PETR ?)
Philosophy.
Can't we just send over a bunch of people who compete in the Battlebot tournaments? Yeah, the wedge robots would need a little upgrading, but I can imagine that Nightmare (the big blade a'spinnin') would help out. In the British version of Battlebots (Robot Wars?) they're allowed to use flame weapons. Go go gadget killing machine!
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Sorry, I really don't know about EMP bursts, beyond that they fry electronics. Would it be possible to create a targetted, or shaped EMP burst, say in front of vehicles that would fry the circuits on the IEDs, and keep the IEDs from going off?
love is in the air...everywhere I look around...
.oo00OO
Maybe if they created a news post about the new layout people wouldn't be foreced to comment off topic in order to talk about it.
Philosophy.
Sorry about posting offtopic, but theres people who were requesting the old slashdot css, which can be used with a firefox extension (greasemonkey?) to utilize the old look. I've posted all the old css files in my journal for everyone's convenience. Cheers. :)
how do i fix slashdot so that it doesn't look like i'm surfing slashdot from inside a Matrix movie?
moox. for a new generation.
So 2 feet midget robot car driving around trying to stop IEDs with suicidial nutbag driving right into target? Better yet, how does that help everyone trying to not get blown to pieces while shopping for food or trying to go to school or trying to go from point A to point B?
Oh wait, here is an idea. EM bomb. No ignition, No Boom.
"Don't let fools fool you. They are the clever ones."
I agree on the suggestion. ( apologies to all for being offtopic )
IOTN - Ionatron has already developed something called a JIN that is a remote vehicle that shoots current into the ground detonating all IED's within a certain range.
Scott
SSHGuru.com
Just wait a decade or two, robots such as these are only the front line. No scientist like Einstein stands out today simply because there are too many scientists who would deserve to be mentioned. Future shock is now real or in modern day terms, a singularity, is that much closer. Japanese culture is where I almost expect intelligent machines to emerge from. We fear Skynet, the typical Japanese adult cut their teeth on Astroboy and intelligent machines are viewed as "our robot friends" in their culture. Overly simplified maybe, but the generalities remain that here we are fearful of machine intelligence while there they are hopeful of it. Throw in the fact that Japan's elderly population will outnumber the youth of it's population in about 20 years is creating a need to have autonomous machines to simply help those future people to get out of bed and into the bath.
Shh.
The way it works mostly now is they are triggered by cellphones or two-way radios. That requires electronics that could be disabled... they aren't generally like mines that sit there passivley and wait for something heavy to drive over.
However then the insurgents may well switch to just simple wires trailing off somewhere that couldn't be disabled by EMP. That means they would have to stay closer, and of course after the device went back you could trace where the wires led to, and perhaps gain further information on who it was there by something they left behind in haste.
Or, they might figure out how to shield it well enough the electronics would survive. I'm not sure what effect that would have on reception of the triggering signal though.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Hey, it's a classic. You don't have to laugh. The Meme Monster made me do it.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
If I want to scan by message title and then rating, my eyes go left/right/left/right...
/. more. Kinda like a Linux box with Fluxbox...not the prettiest but by far the most efficient.
This is prettier, but I think I liked the old
Whether artificial or not, let's send a bit of what the Bush Administration has done to the American people over to our heroic men and women stationed in Iraq.
"...envisions the creation of an unmanned ground vehicle that could patrol large areas without putting U.S. soldiers in harm's way." "We're already using drones (unmanned airplanes) for surveillance in the skies over Iraq,"
So how long before they save lives by taking lives?
It may be pedantic and out of date but I would prefer if there was a disincentive for military action (like counter invasion or the loss of life) rather than an all out search for ways to carry out military action on the cheap.
Although who wants to see dead soldiers and civilians (of any nationality) - This is good for robotics, it may be bad for warfare - but then sadly technology with any military application usually does end up killing people,- lets all get back to clubs with nails in, the body count may be lower.
I have a wild idea, how about we all comment on TFA instead of complaining about the new /. layout.
As for TFA... anything that can prevent the death of a soldier in combat is something I will support.
Talking to Geeks is like eating jello with a chainsaw, interesting, but painful.
Does anybody have the "light" CSS too? I didn't think they'd mess up the light CSS; but damn, it looks awful now.
Or if the only thing that's changed is the CSS, then Slashdot could just put an "alternate stylesheet" link tag in the header.
This is really bad.
I had to hunt for the "read more" link on each story, and it just feels too blocky and non-flowing.
I really don't like this CSS at all... I don't know if everyone else agrees with me or not.
Could you at least give me a option to pick the old one?
Modesty is one of life's greatest attributes
When will this stupid meme die. Islamofascist is not a good description of militant Islamists; fascism is about more than just a powerful and brutal state. From the Wikipedia entry:
Nationalism is a key component of fascism. The Islamist movement was weaned on fighting the Arab Nationalists. Their ideologies, while both repulsing, are fundamentally incompatable.
I think you meant, "As far as creating lots of new Islamic militants and terrorists, Iraq is a pretty good strategy. Plus we get to test out all these cool new IEDs."
Osama got exactly what he wanted: The removal of Saddam, and a ton of new recruits.
On the weekend I noticed a rather cool looking robot video posted to stileproject here http://www.stilemedia.com/?v=heexe1.wmv Probably not a good idea to grab it from work though as people (like my boss) don't believe you when you say it's a science and anatomy site.
Australian running a company that does C# / C++ / Java / SQL / Python / Mathematica
And is war really the worst thing out there? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Do we still believe this or not? The sad, tragic truth is that there will always be people who are willing to throw others' lives away, and sometimes the only way to stop such people is to wage war.
Now that I think about it, perhaps there is a way to make a disincentive to war. Perhaps the only way to end a war without annihilating the enemy is to make it so hard on them that they clearly see that they face annihilation (see bombing raids over Japan (especially atomic), General Sherman's march across Georgia, etc.).
Is it possible that the only reason we are still fighting in Iraq is because we are unwilling to take the steps necessary to truly end it? That's not a rhetorical question, I really want to know what people think, because I don't know.
I cried real tears when Li Mu Bai died.
For some reason, it kept trying to torture me and murder my family.
The robot i would like to see is a 8 wheeled behemoth with a 4 foot thick armored plate surounding the control area and engine compartment about 6-8 feet wide and maybe 5 foot long that that blasts water jets into the ground directly underneath it to dismantly and land mines it rolls over while doing 50 MPH. Then four robotic armes (2 arms like the booms on a backhoe and 2 arms that function like regular arms capatble of grasping things). EMP generators that only effect maybe a ten foot area and can either disable IED's and road side bombs or set them off. Radio jamming equiptment that can also stop remote detonations. An aray of input sensores that can locate human object and relay thier actions or placment (snypers) and maybe even target them for some other smart weapon to take out. 50 cal snyper riffles and a machine gun, maybe a small 25 or 30 mm auto loading cannon for troop support.
Make this controlable by a couple of nitendo/xbox style controlers with a sighting relay and let it escort every convoy they run in hostile teritory. All the other vehicles need to do is stay back and follow the wet areas. If it does detonate something, it can push it aside, pick it up with the arms and move it or even do a quicky repair to the road to let the other vehilces pass. Give it a UAV for extended sensor information gathering.
folks... have we forgotten the innocent Iraqi Civilians.... i think it's time to build robots that protect Iraqi Civililans from ruthless American Marines. Gayan
And then their brothers and cousins decide to take revenge... more recruits.
The moderate Muslims will never get much support whilst the "foreign invaders", as they're called, keep attacking and occuping Muslim countries.
Very true, normal Iraqis are suffering the most. This is a consequence of Qutbism (Islam VS the world), the general sectarian hatred of the many different militant groups, and the disregard of American/European troops.
I've got a better idea than robotic vehicles. What about not being at war all the time?
Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
What do they need them for besides triggering IED's?
Anything that helps to prevent human losses is welcome. That said, some methods are more efficient than others. Sending sophisticated robots to defuse explosive traps aimed at American soldiers looks way less efficient than keeping those soldiers at home, preventing both the loss of their lives and that of uncounted civilians, the destruction of a country and the wave of terrorism that is spawned by such violence. This kind of "solution" makes me think of a billion-dollar electronic, intelligent cork put into the hole (opened at a price of a billion dollar) into a billion dollar dam that shouldn't have been built in the first place. Weird analogy, I know, but American politics is no less weird.
Nuffsaid
________
Don't know about his cat, but Schroedinger is definitely dead.
Does anyone tend to think before posting ideas? An EMP device will set the bomb off not stop it from igniting. The whole concept of an EMP device is to disable the electronics by inducing a massive current. Massive currents will still set the bomb off. Also, what if the stupid thing is inside a faraday cage (read car). The Emp device is useless. Not to mention not all bombs use fancy electronics which can be fried. I doubt the level of technology some of these terrorists use is applicable to being able to be blown up by an EMP device.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
You know, no matter how 'moderate' someone is, they're unlikely to try and help an occupying army. It's a tough spot to be in. And occupation, as a rule, seems to result rather reliably in the radicalisation of a population and a marginalisation of any pre-existing moderates.
The moderates in Iraq right now are no doubt huddling inside praying that the insurgents and the occupation forces wipe each other out, and that they can manage to stay alive until that happens.
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Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
I did not state that "fanatical Muslims have any ethical guide as to which countries they bomb".
Foreign invaders are enough to cause anyone to become more radical, not just religious extremists.
Take this "what if?" historical example:
If the Soviet Union successfully invaded the USA (laughable, yes) during the 80s their theoretical leaders would no doubt complain about the rebels attacking their soldiers. When they'd complain about Christian Extremists killing Soviet Soldiers, you'd probably say the same thing. The act of invading a country is enough to radicalize most of the nation, religion is just a tool for the extremists, and extremists only moderate after many years of peace.
Are they being set up with like wire trips, weight sensors, or just plain a man in the ditch with his finger on the button? Given the suicide bombers' mentality, I could see the latter being the most reliable choice. In that case, sending an unmanned vehicle ahead of the rest would be very unlikely to discover or trigger the explosion early.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Your explanation addresses exactly why Japan and Germany are so radicalized these days.
Or do they not teach recent history on your side of the puddle?
An EMP disables electronics by inducing a current overload into a circuit which burns it out like a fuse is burnt out by a current overload. This is just as likely to set off the bomb by inducing a current into the detonator as disabling it.
Is there another way to make humanity progress wihtout wan beneath? I mean, the best and fastest progress take place durig war. Is where humanity use theire best. So as to destroy. This robots are there to detect bombs, or to plant them? It's the same. Who came first, the egg or the chicken? Stop bothering them, and they'll stop bothering you... Maybe...
Here are papers and more videos from the lab's web page: http://www.eng.fsu.edu/ciscor/research_highlights. htm
Lab's web page: http://www.eng.fsu.edu/ciscor/
The robot hardware platforms are a customized ATRV (four wheels) by RWI (now iRobot) and a Pioneer DX (two wheels) by ActivMedia (now MobileRobots Inc.). This hardware would not be used in the field (Since RWI no longer exists and the DX is about 2 feet tall), but the navigation principles they developed might be (along with many others).
Have to agree - it's goddamn awful. The font is too thin, especially when reversed. My eyes ain't what they used to be and diabetes doesn't help, but the new font just looks wrong - as if someone is going to give it a tweak at any moment and put the proper one in.
AT&ROFLMAO
This is funny.. Once again real life is getting dangerously close to Sci-Fi.. :-) If anyone watches Stargate SG-1 they'll know what I am talking about.. But for those who dont here is a link..
http://www.tvacres.com/images/malp.jpp
Just like in Stalingrad!
1q2w3e4r5t6y7u8i9o0pqawsedrftgthyjukilo;p'azsxdcf
One thing about being here is that it's all about luck. We can only do so much as far as tactics go, and as far as being "aware of our surroundings" and being "careful". A lot depends on luck.
So any little thing is helpful. Thanks.
Vivin Suresh Paliath
http://vivin.net
I like
I think you are a sick fuck who should take up blindfolded motorcyle racing in heavily-treed forests.
a new improvement in our ability to slaughter the infidel darkies is always welcome
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
The issue you pointed out is not what the robot is designed to fix. IEDs are buried by the side of the road or hidden in debris. The robot car can go up and investigate disturbances without slowing down or risking the main force. Otherwise, the insurgents may use a conspicuous decoy to stop a battle force right in the kill zone of well-hidden daisy-chained munitions. Car bombers will still get the traditional, low-tech treatment: verbal and manual warnings, warning shots, then hot steel and lead.
An EM bomb will probably screw the American forces more than the suicide bombers, who will probably switch to mechanical detonators that are manually activated. American comm gear which is crucial in battle to call in backup and fire support may get wasted. In short, he who live in glass houses should not cast stones.
A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/