and my Spetzlamist Panzers will cover the flanks
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| Science & Technology |
| Droid armies just 10 years away! |
| 2006-01-11 |
| The squat, four-wheeled Robot driving itself through densely wooded terrain looks too macho to be cute, but it's too small to be threatening (picture a cross between R2-D2 and a Jeep). "You start to associate personalities with each of them," says Mark Del Giorno, of his 'bots. But still, Del Giorno, the vice president for engineering at General Dynamics Robotic Systems, which built this machine for the Army, insists that he doesn't anthropomorphize his robots: "You realize that the ‘personality' comes from, say, the steering being a little loose. I guess I'm too close to the code to think of them as people." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #14 The Daleks (pronounced "DAH-lecks" or "DAH-licks"; IPA: 'dɑːlɛks) |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-01-11 21:23 |
| #13 Locutus of the Borg: Prepare to be assimilated. Popeye of the Borg: Preparsk to be askimilated. Elmer Fudd of Borg: Pwepawe to be aswimiwated. Dyslexic of the Borg: Prepare to be ass-laminated. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-01-11 19:50 |
| #12 Anonymoose: Put together, you have a large number of robots that act in concert, performing their mission while aware of their resupply/repair needs, which then automatically return to the rear as they are replaced by fully armed and fueled replacements, "keeping up the pressure" on the enemy constantly. IOW: Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2006-01-11 14:19 |
| #11 Ya idjits, this world already has "droid armies." Whadda ya call Fatah, al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hizbullah, Hamas, the IRGC ... ? The pattern of We are already up against 'droids. The deep religious |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-01-11 12:51 |
| #10 Still waiting for the guys in the lab to finish developing the Hellbore... |
| Posted by: Patrick Phillips 2006-01-11 12:13 |
| #9 Till the droids come ... lets just release 10s of thousands of RABID ferrets into the IRANIAN underground NUKE centers along with lots of coral snakes. and my Spetzlamist Panzers will cover the flanks |
| Posted by: RD 2006-01-11 11:32 |
| #8 Till the droids come ... lets just release 10s of thousands of RABID ferrets into the IRANIAN underground NUKE centers along with lots of coral snakes. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-01-11 10:58 |
| #7 I'm a big proponent of the "1-2-3" approach as relates to robotic "brains". That is, robotic brains need to be designed like human brains, with a lower, mid, and higher brain function--but not all of them inside the body of the robot. That is, put the critical support, diagnostic, navigation, and individual operations inside each robot. This is more than enough for that part of the brain to do. For the "midbrain", put only a piece of the midbrain inside each robot, acting in parallel with the midbrains of its other team members. This way, they have a much more powerful virtual midbrain than could be fit into a single robot, to accomplish things such as working as a group and tactical goals. The midbrain also contains "templates" for higher functions. For example, if it sees a "human" that is below three feet in height when standing up it is probably not a combatant. But that is different from a human on one knee, or a human half in a ditch, etc. The real higher functions, such as judgement and problem solving, are done with very powerful computers available through a sat or radio network, nowhere near the battlefield. For example, if the standing human is less than three feet tall, but firing a weapon, what to do? This "higher" brain incorporates people as part of its problem solving mechanism. This 1-2-3 system is designed to compensate for breakdowns anywhere in the system. No "break", temporary or permanent, should freeze up the whole system. Just the more of the system that is online, the more powerful the entire system is. Put together, you have a large number of robots that act in concert, performing their mission while aware of their resupply/repair needs, which then automatically return to the rear as they are replaced by fully armed and fueled replacements, "keeping up the pressure" on the enemy constantly. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-01-11 08:53 |
| #6 If you're talking EMP, DOD has funded extensive R&D of radiation-hardened chips and circuitry, most of which isn't available commercially. If you're talking direct nuclear hit, well ... not many of us or much that isn't buried in places like the Mountain will survive that. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-01-11 08:33 |
| #5 I'm not old enuf to remember the oat eating mule, but young enuf to remember the M-274 A2, and it's various configs. I wonder how much of this plastic, computerized stuff will survive on a nuclear battlefield. Any guesses, comments? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-01-11 08:21 |
| #4 Heh, phil_b - The segway is perfect, no one could argue with the convergence. You're just a decade or so ahead... ;-) |
| Posted by: .com 2006-01-11 04:56 |
| #3 At the risk of the mods jumping on me for promoting my online novel for the second time in a few days, the descriptions here are startlingly similar to ones in my fictional work - Autonomous Operation. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-01-11 04:52 |
| #2 And now, boyz and girlz, dudes and dudettes, you all yet another reason amongst many for the Spetzlamists, 9-11, and why the Failed/Angry Left want America under anti-American American- and Global Socialism and OWG by 2020. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-01-11 04:30 |
| #1 Hooyah Bzzzt Ding! |
| Posted by: .com 2006-01-11 04:28 |