pillabachapk Posted February 9, 2011 Report Posted February 9, 2011 [center][img]http://betacache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/02/xlarge_robotwarriors.jpg[/img][/center]There are more than 2,000 ground robots fighting alongside flesh-and-blood forces in Afghanistan, according to Lt. Col. Dave Thompson, the Marine Corps' top robot-handler. If his figures are right, it means one in 50 U.S. troops in Afghanistan isn't even a human being. And America's swelling ranks of groundbot warriors are being used in new, unexpected, life-saving ways.But there's one small problem: however numerous, these rolling and crawling robots are still pretty stupid. And there's not much hope they'll get any smarter anytime soon.Groundbots first made inroads among bomb-disposal units. The human bomb-techs could take cover and steer in a remote-controlled Talon or PackBot to disable a dangerous explosive device. But a third of the 1,400 fresh ground bots deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 weren't for EOD, Thompson pointed out during a presentation at a Washington, D.C. trade show "Robots are not just for explosive ordnance disposal teams anymore … They [ground troops] are using them in ways we never expected."
jamesbond Posted February 9, 2011 Report Posted February 9, 2011 [img]http://desigif.com/sites/default/files/r2-o.gif?1290166324[/img]
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