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Marine Corps Wants a Throwable Robot
coondoggie writes "The US Marine Corps has a request — build and rapidly deploy more 10lb-or-under robots its personnel can throw into dangerous situations that can quickly gather information without endangering Marines. The throwable robot is part of a family of robots that would range from the 10lb version to one that would act as a central controlling device and weigh close to 300lbs. Marine commanders are demanding ever lighter robots so that troops don't have to offload critical equipment from their rucksacks to accommodate them."
Our valiant men, women and children in uniform deserve the very best. Wherever they are defending freedom, they need to be protected with the most advanced technology. In recent years, terrorists such as Arabs and black people in New Orleans have been developing ever more sophisticated and nefarious schools, clinics and air raid shelters. Will our brave fighting heroes be up to the task in engaging and destroying these threats to our freedom if they can't see inside these terrorist hiding places remotely through their military ipods? God bless America and thank GOD for Barack Obama who has the courage and resolve to take the necessary measures to rearm our nation against the ever present threats to our freedom!
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OK. Room full of angry men with guns. this calls for:
10 lb robot to case the joint before it gets blown to bits by multiple rounds from an AK47, or:
767 gram fragmentation grenade that explodes and shreds the angry men with guns into little tiny pieces.
10lb Robot... 1.75lb grenade... 10lb Robot... 1.75lb grenade...10lb Robot... 1.75lb grenade... I'll take the grenade.
"can see around corners inside buildings, sewers, drainpipes, caves, courtyards" so corners, not distances, and it sounds kind of like they're looking into remote controlled after being thrown.
OK, and you can throw it exactly HOW FAR? A trained Olympic quality athlete has difficulty throwing a 16 pound shotput more than 20 meters. A high school shotput thrown by a high school athlete (which would be roughly equivalent to a fit, if not future, member of the military) tossed a 12lb shotput 81 feet, and it's a bit of a record. Now put this in the hands of your average 30something National Guardsman on his 6th tour of duty in some dusty hellhole - he (or she) is not likely to get those kinds of numbers.
A big drain pipe? Send in the retarded douchebag from chicago with the stupid tribal tatts with a flashlight on his M16 with an RPG mounted. Anything moves, shoot. If it sounds like it will / can shoot back, fire the RPG. He'll be deaf for a week, but hey - this is a volunteer army, not conscription. This is a contract - you are property.
courtyards? Oh, puhleeez. I can see it now...
Ali: Hey - Akmet - look! Someone tossed something over the wall at us into the courtyard. Looks like a robot.
Akmet: Really? Cool. Target practice! Weeee! (TAK TAK TAK) OK. Now it's a pile of junk.
Ali: Good shot, there Akmet.
Akmet: Thanks. Where'd it come from?
Ali: Over there, by the palm tree.
Akmet: OK. Wanna bet who can toss three grenades over there fastest?
Ali: You're on. You can have one of my virgins if this all goes badly.
Akmet: Same here - You're on! 1.2.3. THROW! THROW! THROW!
(WAMP!!..... WAMP!!.... WAMP!!... WAMP!!..... WAMP!!.... WAMP!!...)
Ali: Hah! I win! You owe me a virgin, fucker. So, we should probably check it out.
Akmet: sure. I'll get up on the roof over there, so I can see what's going on and keep you covered - you go out and shoot anything that moves.
Ali: OK.
(seconds later)
TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK
Ali: Hey - Akmet - the grenades got most of 'em but a few were wounded so I shot 'em.
Akmet: good on ya, Ali. Let's go get some lunch.
Ali: all because they heaved some stupid robot.
Akmet: Yeah. Stupid americans. Maybe if they just stayed home and stopped fucking with people, no one would care.
Ali: Yeah. I mean, like do we care about the Norwegians or the Danes? Or the Chileans? Hell no.
Akmet: Yeah - typical imperialist nonsense. They never learn, it seems.
Ali: Yeah. kinda sad.
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
How does a straw-man like this get modded insightful? GP never said we shouldn't have a serious military.
If we cut military spending by 50%, we would still spend more than twice the total defense budgets of all those countries you mentioned.
If we cut it by 50% three years in a row (that could never possibly happen, but go with me), we would still have the largest military budget in the world. We spend more money on "defense" than (approximately) the next twenty countries combined. And most of those countries are our very strong allies.
Anybody that doesn't think we should drastically cut our defense budget is crazy and should be thrown in the loony bin. There is no need in the current geopolitical climate for anything remotely approaching the size and strength of our military.
Figures taken from wikipedia, although they are easily found in many places.