Neural Robotics Incorporated equips AutoCopter with 12-gauge shotgun
By Evan Blass 
posted Mar 1st 2006 9:00PM
posted Mar 1st 2006 9:00PM
We've seen a number of autonomous helicopters in our day,
but most of them just fly around showing off their avoidance and maneuvering skills and snapping the occasional photo or
vid. Well Neural Robotics Incorporated has just made their AutoCopter minicopter a lot more, um, interesting by adding
an AA-12 12-gauge shotgun to the nose of the hovering sentry. Previously, the sub-$100,000 AutoCopter was restricted to
such "mundane" tasks as surveillance, mine detection, and escort duty, but made a fun and easy target for
enemies to pick off. According to the rather loving write-up by Defense Review, with the addition of heavy firepower,
this semi- or fully-autonomous, parachute-equipped copter is now able to "seek out, locate,
identify, and destroy/terminate (i.e. kill) the enemy with extreme prejudice at 300
rounds-per-minute." Isn't technology great! You can catch some footage of this little terror in action by
following the "Read" link...[Via Defense Tech]
Dick Cheney will take three.
Do what you will, just don't send me hunting with the vice preseident!
I thought that nothing could beat Steve's "fun, new toys", but I'm glad to see I was wrong.
I use my flying, fully-autonomous robot sentry to guard my parking spot in front of my house, but it's always been bothering me that I couldn't kill anyone with it. Until now.
Now if they just equip it with a penis pump and an iPod Hi-Fi I will truly have the ultimate modern convenience.
"Drop your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply."
Looks like it's time to head to Mexico. They should be activating SKYNET any day now.
"Neural Robotics", or "Neurotics" for short.
And who are you little friend? Come to spy on me?
Mama don't like tattletales.
"I think you'd better do as he says, Mr. Kinney."
what's the right use of the machine?
So, um, where can I buy one? :)
Rowdy--"They Live" was your best work.
Anyone want to buy a kidney?
#10 funny! ;)
Wish I had one of these so I could pop my little bro in the butt a few times ;)
I for one welcome our future 12-gauge-weilding, autonomous helicopter overlords.
If you got killed by that then you are a sissy.
now all you need to do is equip it with 3g phone and a powerfull self destruct explosive and you have the ultimate murder weapon: remote operable and untraceable
Whats funny is how the weapon is attached. Its just a 12 guage weapon strapped upsidedown to the copter! :D
Maybe I'm the only gun and gadget geek around here but can somebody explain why in the heck they chose a full auto shotgun?
Short range, ammo weighs a ton, heavy recoil compared to a pistol caliber sub gun.
The only advantage is the "spray" effect.
David
Apparently the inventors just saw Under Seige.
Sounds like the true inspiration came when the developer was a 12 year old kid shooting rats with his BB-gun... Didnt take long to grow into a new hobby (R/C helicopters) and develop the idea along.
Jack Bauer could still shoot it down with a pistol.
http://www.notrly.com/jackbauer/index.php?topsixty
http://bauercount.com/
Sweet! What the heck does the recoil do to this thing?
Imagine mounting a RPG or TOW missile to this thing. Shoot the helicopter back quite aways. I'd like to see this thing, with that RPG hooked on, to blow up a car. That would be one awesome video.
Finally, something we can haul on a trailer behind our GMC trucks. A GMC truck with remote controlled gun turret, that is. ;P
http://www.ibistek.com/viper_gallery4.php
Pinkerton,
Thats cool, imagine extending that thing out of the back when some moron is honking at you. He'd see this giant gun turret come out and rotate toward him. "Oh crap..."
Hehehe :)
P.S. That reminds me of this SUV I saw in a magazine. It had multiple LCD screens and joysticks in the back seat and a roof-mounted laser. Thats what I call fun. :)
So where do I get me a "300 rounds-per-minute" shotgun? A parallel universe?
Uh... having fired a 12 gage many times I can state that the kickback is considerable and that it would totally overwhelm the little copter. I don't believe that this is a serious concept.
Awww, I was hoping for frickin' lasers...
James, you need to watch the video -- it doesn't overwhelm it at all. And you guys out there who are thinking ???why a shotgun??? are thinking that thing you use to hunt with. This is a military shotgun -- they have used them for years and they're not the same thing the civilians get at all, at all. The object here is to spray a room full of baddies with enough lead to take care of them without having to hit them in the head with a single slug.
Wow, kind of scary but I guess if it helps us win wars and saves the lives of our troops then more power to it.
David, I kind of think that one reason they use a shotgun is because the large pattern probably makes it a lot more forgiving of operater aim, or lack thereof. I'd imagine it might be hard to make accurate shots when aiming via a grainy webcam quality footage. (and that while this little copter is probably getting blown around by every gust of wind)
If I were using this I think a tactic I would try out would be to use the speed of the copter (and relative lack of giving a crap if it gets destroyed) to just do sort of strafing runs at the enemy as fast as possible, pumping shots into them as soon as the copter got within 50 yards. (or whatever was ideal) If they don't want to run for cover and try to shoot at it instead... more power to them.
P.S. Does this thing remind anyone else of Half-life 2 and it's flying bot things? Where the the buzz saw helicopters now?
Hell no, Jack Baur or that Limey klutz Kiefer Sutherland can't do shit except wave a baton like they do in Limeyland.
http://komodo.fullvoltage.com/AutoCopter_Gunship.mpg
Link to video incase that one is sloooooooooow
They probably went with an automatic shotgun so they have small hope of actually hitting something with it. Untill I see that thing hit a bullseye 3 times in a row from 100m, I'm going to write it off as nothing more than just goofing around. It isn't even attached to a gimble from what I can tell.