Society of Robots - Robot Forum

General Misc => Robot Videos => Topic started by: Admin on May 29, 2010, 10:41:32 PM

Title: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: Admin on May 29, 2010, 10:41:32 PM
If you like robots and rockets and explosions, this is for you.

If you don't want robots to take over the world, you might want to pretend this thread doesn't exist :P

iRobot 710 Warrior with APOBS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3jab7rnIL0#)
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: madsci1016 on May 29, 2010, 11:48:29 PM
Well, that's one way to clear the playground.


Launch system looks like a Pac-bot variant.

Also woot for a Naval Warfare Center!!! I wish more of the stuff I did was approved for public release. :-(
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: Admin on May 30, 2010, 12:44:43 AM
I wrote up a short article here about it:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/irobot-demonstrates-their-latest-war-robot (http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/irobot-demonstrates-their-latest-war-robot)

I got to see the insides of this robot last year, and its really well built actually.
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: SmAsH on May 30, 2010, 01:20:25 AM
Damn, the stuff they're putting on our battlefields...
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: MikeK on May 30, 2010, 08:00:11 AM
Not really a robot, is it?  It's remote controlled.  Neat idea, though.
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: amando96 on May 30, 2010, 09:04:07 AM
Gotta love explosives  ;D
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: madsci1016 on May 30, 2010, 09:09:22 AM
Not really a robot, is it?  It's remote controlled.  Neat idea, though.

The Navy's stance on this is no robot that is autonomous or thinks for itself can have the power to shoot or explode something. There must always be a human in the loop.

Also nice article John, I especially love

"disclaimer: I am neither condoning nor condemning the weaponization of robots, just stating the facts that I am aware of."

lol.
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: Admin on May 31, 2010, 10:09:06 AM
Quote
The Navy's stance on this is no robot that is autonomous or thinks for itself can have the power to shoot or explode something. There must always be a human in the loop.
The day that a robot is less likely to cause friendly fire or accidentally target civilians is when it'll be considered immoral to let humans make the decision :P

Then again, if humans incorrectly fire the weapon 5% of the time, and the robot only 1%, can you blame the robot (or the company that made it) for that 1%?

Quote
I especially love

"disclaimer: I am neither condoning nor condemning the weaponization of robots, just stating the facts that I am aware of."

lol.
I often work for the US military, so I need to be careful what I say :P
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: vinito on May 31, 2010, 10:24:55 AM
A string of exploding hotdogs, pulled by a small rocket and braked with a parachute?
That's not irobot nor the US military. That's something the coyote bought from ACME.

(http://www.alexross.com/80932-big.jpg)

They need make the rocket whistle like a dive bomber. Then the package would be complete.
 :D
Title: Re: iRobot land mine clearing robot
Post by: Admin on June 01, 2010, 11:14:53 AM
hmmmm my article just appeared on SlashDot:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/06/01/1455233/IRobot-Demonstrates-New-Weaponized-Robot (http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/06/01/1455233/IRobot-Demonstrates-New-Weaponized-Robot)
(no, I didn't submit it)

And the IEEE editor decided to make some big changes to my article - he did have good points though . . .