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| Behold, the SWORD armed-robot | |
| 2007-08-03 | |
| I like this setup, but it brings up a religious question. Is a metal robot an infidel, and subsequently, if a jihadi gets off'd by one of these, will they get their 72 Virginians? I figured one of our resident imams could make a call about these questions *snicker* Robots have been roaming the streets of Iraq, since shortly after the war began. Now, for the first time, the first time in any warzone, the machines are carrying guns. After years of development, three "special weapons observation remote reconnaissance direct action system" (SWORDS) robots have deployed to Iraq, armed with M249 machine guns. The 'bots "haven't fired their weapons yet," Michael Zecca, the SWORDS program manager, tells DANGER ROOM. "But that'll be happening soon." The SWORDS, modified versions of bomb-disposal robots used throughout Iraq, were first declared ready for duty back in 2004. But concerns about safety kept the robots from being sent over the the battlefield. The machines had a tendency to spin out of control from time to time. That was an annoyance during ordnance-handling missions; no one wanted to contemplate the consequences during a firefight. More at linky. The YouTube video of the SWORD (from "Future Weapons" show) at the link is especially interesting, claiming it can climb stairs, go underwater (up to 100') and even become a sniper (in addition to carrying heavy machineguns, 40 mm grenade launchers and/or anti-tank missiles).
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| Posted by:BA |