Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wall-E Lookalike Wins British War Robot Showdown

Posted by samzenpus on from the let-the-robot-wars-begin dept.

longacre writes "Following in the footsteps of DARPA's Urban Challenge, in which robotic vehicles had to navigate a complex obstacle course without human intervention, the UK upped the ante with its own Ministry of Defence Grand Challenge: within a mock enemy village, robots were instructed to find potential targets and make distinctions between armed troops, roadside bombs and snipers. The winning entry, Team Stellar's SATURN system, actually consists of three vehicles: a low level drone and a tracked ground vehicle transmit reconnaissance data to a high-altitude robotic relay aircraft, which proceeds to phone that data home to a central processing center. Upon announcing the winner yesterday, MoD said they are 'carefully considering if technologies demonstrated in the final can be incorporated into future frontline kit for the Armed Forces. It is possible that the winning team will have invented a product that can be developed rapidly for the front line.'"

5 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. What I like by caitsith01 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What I like is this:

    within a mock enemy village, robots were instructed to find potential targets and make distinctions between armed troops, roadside bombs and snipers

    Would it not, perhaps, be better to invest time and energy into robots which "make distinctions" between armed troops and unarmed civilians?

    --
    Read Pynchon.
    1. Re:What I like by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And I don't care whether any soldier likes it or not: when an armed civilian/guerrilla grandmother kills an armed soldier, that's tough, but not exactly unfair

      Oh c'mon, when did "fair" become applicable to war again? When you crash into some backwater country that has 40 year old tanks and 15 year old soldiers and you field more firepower than half the globe combined, is that fair or something?

      There is no fairness in a war. Every side will use whatever advantage it has to gain or retain the upper hand, of if this is impossible, inflict as much damage as entirely possible. Period.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:What I like by BitterOldGUy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Anyone that runs, is a VC. Anyone that stands still, is a well-disciplined VC.

      VC ... Venture Capitalist? So, we're talking about a war with venture capitalists?

      I like it!

    3. Re:What I like by SQL+Error · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And I don't care whether any soldier likes it or not: when an armed civilian/guerrilla grandmother kills an armed soldier, that's tough, but not exactly unfair -- soldiers have the numbers and the firepower on their side. When an armed soldier kills an unarmed civilian, that's just despicable.

      When a civilian kills an armed soldier, that it unfair on the other civilians. A major reason for the rules about combatants wearing recognisable uniforms is to protect civilians. If the solders know that only other uniformed solders will shoot at them, then they have no reason to attack civilians. If the civilians decide to join in the fight, then they're not civilians any more; they're soldiers illegally out of uniform.

      Depends on the situation, sure. But if the civilians break the rules intended to protect them, they can't complain if they're no longer protected by those rules.

  2. Designed for... by clickety6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Quote:

    within a mock enemy village, robots were instructed to find potential targets and make distinctions between armed troops

    This is obviously designed for use in "the war on terror" where most of the fighting is against mock enemies....

    --
    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------