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"Bear" Robot to Rescue Wounded Troops

Posted by Zonk on from the that-is-just-mind-blowingly-creepy dept.

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.'"

3 of 331 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ohkaayy... by weaponx86 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.

  2. Yeah... by Colin+Smith · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Give the robot a menacing look with red eyes, a gun, 500 pounds of Ammo That's the other one. The one they're not telling you about. This one is the one they use to get funding.

    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.
    --
    Deleted
  3. Re:errr by DoohickeyJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.