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"Bear" Robot to Rescue Wounded Troops
Jim Hall writes "The US military is developing a robot with a teddy bear head to help carry injured soldiers out of combat. The "friendly appearance" of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease. The 6ft tall Bear can cross bumpy ground without toppling thanks to a combination of gyroscopes and computer controlled motors to maintain balance. It is expected to be ready for testing within five years. 'It is also narrow enough to squeeze through doorways, but can lift 135kg (500 lbs.) with its hydraulic arms in a single smooth movement, to avoid causing pain to wounded soldiers. While the existing prototype slides its arms under its burden like a forklift, future versions will be fitted with manoeuvrable hands to gently scoop up casualties. The Bear is controlled remotely and has cameras and microphones through which an operator sees and hears. It can even tackle stairs while carrying a human-sized dummy.'"
I totally agree. If i'm in the middle of the desert barely conscious and I see fucking bear, I would probably die from shock.
What we need now is for some enterprising journalist to break into the lab, find the other one, be hunted down and killed by it. Then we have an episode of the X files in the making.
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It requires an operator, so it is not saving much manpower. Maybe one operator instead of two people to pick up someone? Is it flexible enough to run like hell if shells start dropping nearby?
If it is not safe to send in the medic then wouldn't this be a good target?
What happens when it gets shot? The image of it falling with someone in its arms isn't exactly reassuring
Cool design, just not sure of a good use.
Heck, even fit the medic-bots with menacing red eyes and 500 pounds of ammo.
If you find yourself wounded in the middle of a firefight, which will make you feel more comfortable - being carried out by a carebear that wouldn't hurt a fly, or being carried out by something that looks like it will decimate any opposition in its path?
If I see am wounded in battle and see something that looks like Nemesis from RE:Apocolypse coming at me, I'm gonna have a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest if its on MY side...and a warm, squishy feeling in my pants if it isn't.
How about some of the other "feel good"Myths that y'all been carrying around pratically since Birth? The Stork,easter Bunny,Santa Claus,Christmas,Passover,Heaven,Religeon,Little Red Ridin'Hood,no Inflation,Democracy, the Moon Shot,Hope and many other Goodies,to make yourself feel better,while bleeding to death fighting for Wall Street and the Bankster??
Hmmm, I was just thinking that cute little teddy bear from the sci-fi movie Screamers (1995). Then again, if I were wounded, I'm not sure I'd want some big, obvious "lifesaving" robotic bear lifting me up anyway. Sometimes being dragged painfully along the ground by guys who know how to hide, and when to duck is a better option, IMO. Sure, the guy controlling the bear wants you to make it back safely, but I think that another person out there has a lot more invested in (both of) your safety.
:)
And then there's a question of sniper traps, which these are supposedly going to help with. From the sniper's point of view, if you see the bear, you might as well just shoot the soldier, right? Punish the soldier for the rescue, then try and damage the bear, and scram. On the other hand, if you think that wounded soldier might still lure others into range, you're more likely to sit it out. If you're the soldier lying on the ground, you might want them to string the sniper along a little, till your buddies can pinpoint him and deal with him properly.
Like anything, sounds nice, but real life is probably going to relegate these things to niche situations, or more likely, to civilian duty. Then again, there's somethign to be said for the army of angry looking robotic teddy bears coming at you. But they gotta look like REAL teddy bears to have the maximum effect.
Microsoft has just released their much anticipated hands-free cordless mouse. Warning, it may hurt a little at first.
In WWII it was commonplace for medics to ditch their emblems so that they wouldn't be such a high profile target.
There is no chivalry in modern warfare.
Think about it: Injured soldier on field, medic coming to rescue. Hmm, let him perform the rescue: Enemy has 2 soldiers. Shoot the medic: Enemy down 2 soldiers, and maybe they'll send another.
It's morally deplorable, but so is war.
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