Robots Guarding US Nuclear Stockpiles In Nevada

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Robots Guarding US Nuclear Stockpiles In Nevada

Posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday October 12, 2010 @05:23AM from the no-disassemble-johnny-five dept.

kkleiner writes "The US National Nuclear Security Administration recently announced that it has started using autonomous robot vehicles to patrol the vast desert surrounding its Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The 1360+ square miles of territory is home to millions of tons of low grade nuclear waste, as well as Cold War Era nuclear weapons, and cutting edge nuclear testing research. Guarding those precious nuclear materials is the Mobile Detection Assessment Response System (MDARS) robot, which is essentially a camera on a mini-Hummer. The MDARS can roam and scout the desert on its own, alerting a remote operator when it encounters something that shouldn't be there."

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What could possibly go wrong? by jamesdood · 2010-10-12 05:28 · Score: 3, Funny

I mean they are robots, guarding nuclear weapons....

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*narf!*
1. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Iamthecheese · 2010-10-12 05:33 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I'm more worried about operators trusting hackable equipment to give them good data. What is it using? thermal? movement? shapes? colors? Whatever it is a robot's ability to "see" as in detect patterns in what it's looking at is far, far less advanced than what the human brain can detect. I dearly hope these cameras are being monitored on a 1 person/1 camera basis.
  
  --
  If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
2. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by WrongSizeGlass · 2010-10-12 05:35 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I mean they are robots, guarding nuclear weapons....
  Robots who are angry that 'MDARS' is the best acronym that the brain trust could come up with.
3. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Lord+Ender · 2010-10-12 05:52 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I hope they have an infinite budget, too. But they don't, so it's good that they're using technology to make the most of what they have.
  
  --
  A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
4. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by batquux · 2010-10-12 06:01 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  How about... Mobile Unmanned Robotic Detection Assessment Response System (MURDARS)?
5. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by mcgrew · 2010-10-12 06:29 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Don't anthromorphise robots. Robots HATE being anthromorphised.
  
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  Free Martian Whores!
6. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by WrongSizeGlass · 2010-10-12 06:47 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  What could possibly go wrong?
  An MDARS robot, parked in the middle of a vast desert, dreams of becoming a Google Driverless Car one day. "I know I checked the 'do no evil' box on my application form. I wonder what happened? Stupid computers should never be trusted to handle something as complex as paying attention to details on a job application ..."
Automated robots by BadAnalogyGuy · 2010-10-12 05:31 · Score: 2, Interesting

Tedious, dangerous, time-consuming tasks should be done by robots.
I'm still sad my Roomba doesn't empty, clean, and charge itself. I suppose it could, but that would probably be the last step before self awareness, and we all know how that will go.
1. Re:Automated robots by Yvan256 · 2010-10-12 05:34 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Doesn't the Roomba automatically go back to its charging station after it's done cleaning?
  The only thing missing, AFAIK, it's the "empty itself" part. I'm puzzled over that one because they could simply add a "garbage can" part to the charging station...
2. Re:Automated robots by nospam007 · 2010-10-12 05:50 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The Kärcher Robot Cleaner has a loading station that sucks the dirt out of the robot, but it's more than double the price.
  http://www.robot-magic.co.uk/acatalog/KarcherRobocleaner.html
3. Re:Automated robots by NevarMore · 2010-10-12 06:03 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The Kärcher Robot Cleaner has a loading station that sucks the dirt out of the robot, but it's more than double the price.
  Umlauts are an expensive upgrade. I bet the Röömbä would be like eight times as expensive.
4. Re:Automated robots by corbettw · 2010-10-12 07:30 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Tedious, dangerous, time-consuming tasks should be done by robots.
  My wife says the same thing. But I keep telling her, steel and ceramic vaginas just don't do it for me.
  
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  God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
5. Re:Automated robots by MrEricSir · 2010-10-12 08:56 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  It's turtles all the way down!
  
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  There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
Things that shouldn't be there by Tanks*Guns · 2010-10-12 05:32 · Score: 5, Funny

"...alerting a remote operator when it encounters something that shouldn't be there."

People
Large Animals
Vehicles
John Connor
Other Robots
Must have missed them by 0123456 · 2010-10-12 05:35 · Score: 4, Interesting

I was on a tour of the Nevada test site a few months back and didn't see any robots running around, I guess they weren't operating at that point. It's a pretty interesting place to see if you ever get the chance, and so big that I can understand why they want robots patrolling 24/7.
And the tour guide claimed that years ago a visitor was accidentally left behind in a portapotty near one of the craters, so at least if it happens again they'll be able to flag down a passing robot. Assuming it doesn't go all Terminator on their ass.
1. Re:Must have missed them by Wraithlyn · 2010-10-12 06:49 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Of course you didn't seem them... they're ninja robots.
  
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  "Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
Good use of the technology by John3 · 2010-10-12 05:38 · Score: 5, Insightful

This seems like an excellent use of robotic patrol vehicles. Driving around on patrol in that desert is a tedious assignment and the chance that someone might actually show up out there to steal old nuclear waste is pretty low. If the robotic vehicle detects anything unusual there is plenty of time to get people (or the next generation of vehicular robot?) out to the site to investigate further and/or stop the perps.

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"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
What happens north of New Vegas... by Tackhead · 2010-10-12 05:40 · Score: 5, Interesting

What happens north of New Vegas... stays north of New Vegas.
(When I first saw a picture of the thing, I thought it was an asset from Fallout:New Vegas. It's a Robobrain come to life... awesome! :)
These things could actually have civilian applications. Scatter a bunch over Death Valley or other remote areas, and partner 'em with a high-altitude drone overlooking the area for stranded motorists or backcountry hikers, and send an autonomous mount with a few gallons of water after 'em after a few hours of immobility. It'll have pretty decent odds of getting there in time to help, and the remote operator can then talk with the hiker/motorist to determine what sort of human intervention (if any) is necessary.
1. Re:What happens north of New Vegas... by Un+pobre+guey · 2010-10-12 06:02 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Not if it had water bottles strapped to its side. If it had a loudspeaker that blared out "We mean you no harm! We are here to help! Please come out and show yourself!" or something to that effect, it would probably make it even scarier.
Hummer? by Virmal · 2010-10-12 06:55 · Score: 3, Insightful

They are trying to save money and they are using a mini Hummer?? How many gallons to the mile?
Just one word.... by cellmaker · 2010-10-12 16:40 · Score: 2, Interesting

Bolo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(tank)