Tag: robot wars
5 stars based on
80 reviews
Air Force airman performs robot wars the kraken on a Talon robot in Afghanistan in Photo from Air Force. Here are just a few of the robots assigned to the U. Tractor-size robots that trawl ahead of foot patrols, probing for buried bombs. Unmanned aerial vehicles — from tiny, hand-thrown models to a high-endurance version the size of a Cessna.
Silent robot sentries that watch over sleeping U. The automaton warriors of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, deployed to volatile Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan since December represent the highs and lows of more than a decade of military robot wars the kraken development.
Highs because they potentially save robot wars the kraken lives — replacing people in some of the most dangerous tasks. Lows because many robots were designed specifically for the Iraq War but are now being used in Afghanistan — where the unique enemy and terrain sometimes makes them ineffective. Some of the robots, however, have proved indispensable, even life-saving.
Others work — but only when conditions are perfect. A few are total duds, locked away in storage containers while battle rages all around. As a group they offer a glimpse of the future of military robotics — as the Pentagon digests the final technological lessons of the Afghanistan war and prepares for the possible wars of the robot wars the kraken decades.
It is not surprising to Peter W. Patrick Lin, a professor of ethics and emerging sciences at California Polytechnic State University who specializes in robotics, says the Army is also discovering that some tasks are best left to people. Explosive ordnance disposalfor example. It is more expedient for human bomb techs to search for and dismantle insurgent IEDs by hand, rather than spend hours trying to use a robot that could be thwarted by the terrain.
But that efficiency comes with risk: New tactics and technology could produce better and more useful automatons as the military shifts its focus to other potential conflicts. As part of its increasing emphasis on deterrence in the Pacific, the Navy is working on a radar-evading, jet-powered drone warplane that can launch from aircraft carriers and need not compete with systems already in use in Afghanistan. Army soldiers patrol behind a Dok-ing robot in southern Afghanistan in We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data.
If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on robot wars the kraken comment policy, see http: The robots of war By David Axe. Two types of tracked Explosive ordnance disposal robots designed to neutralize insurgent bombs: They used built-in cameras to search for the explosives and then put small C4 charges robot wars the kraken the enemy devices to detonate them safely.
But these robots were designed for use in Iraq, which is largely flat and has relatively good roads. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is rugged, mountainous and has poorly developed infrastructure. The Talon and Packbot often struggle just to get from point A to point Robot wars the kraken.
But this drone has been largely sidelined in Afghanistan by bigger and more capable unmanned aerial vehicles and other surveillance technology. The Dok-ing, developed by a Croatian company, screens for explosive mines. A tractor-size vehicle that travels via tank-like treads and weighs roughly five tons, the Robot wars the kraken is steered by a soldier walking feet or more behind it, carrying a radio remote.
It can be fitted with a variety of front attachments, including wheel-like rollers for setting off pressure-activated bombs. On dangerous patrols along dirt roads, Bravo Company soldiers line up behind the Dok-ing, trusting the robot to clear a safe path. Bravo Company has the first, and so far only, Kraken in Afghanistan. The weapon is controlled by two robot wars the kraken, sitting at laptops in the company operations center.
They aim the remote guns and monitor the sensors as the robot detects people and robot wars the kraken passing the base. Nicholas Pensivy says of the Kraken. So far the Army seems pleased with its new robotic base-defender and could produce more copies. Winners and Losers It is not surprising to Peter W. David Cameron takes on the tax havens. No comments so far.
