UK's MoD Grand Challenge inciting robo-warfare next summer

While these days robotics are no stranger to the battlefield, the UK Ministry of Defence is hoping to take things a step further with its "Grand Challenge" competition, which aims to bring autonomous, information-gathering robots to urban warfare situations. Fourteen teams have been picked as finalists, and the true test will come next summer when the robots roll into Copehill Down, an urban warfare training center built during the Cold War, and duke it out with mock targets. The MoD's hope is for a robot to be able to identify potential snipers, enemy vehicles and other human threats, with a minimum of human guidance, and then report that information back to ground troops gearing up for an assault. Approaches to the challenge include miniature unmanned planes and copters equipped with high-def cameras, and combination setups that include ground units with radar and thermal detection along with aerial units. Points will be awarded for accuracy of recon and autonomy, and the winning team will receive a fancy trophy and military funding. The robots are in it for the glory and the hefty retirement benefits.

[Via BBC News]

[Stan @ Aug 21st 2007 10:27PM]

unmanned copters that can spot out enemies and distinguish them from friendly targets? Ew, this reminds me of Half Life 2 with those flying camera bots.

[Electromodo @ Jul 31st 2007 2:17PM]

How long before we need to raise a clone army to put against this newly-built robot army?

Send general Obi-Wan to search for cloners before its too late... :))

[Electromodo @ Jul 31st 2007 2:21PM]

I mean, before those robots raise against us...

[kyle allen @ Jul 31st 2007 2:27PM]

wow... creepy

[E71 @ Jul 31st 2007 2:40PM]

Ah limeys. What a bunch of a wimps.

[simond10 @ Aug 1st 2007 7:09AM]

'E71'

Do you even know why you call us 'Limeys'?, let me educate you, it's because in the old days we 'Limeys' used Limes to stave off disease and stay clean on ships, so you are attacking us for being clean and disease free.. get an education you idiot.

Its called fighting a war intelligently, you guys need it more than any of us, it might stop that 'friendly fire' your army seems so fond of, hell even your vice president partook in it, mistaking a person for a bird, a gigantic bird with a hat and clothes that looked allot like a person, on how stupid is that?

[simond10 @ Aug 1st 2007 2:51PM]

Im jnust waiting for the day when one of them comes up to me and says

'Come with me if you want to live' :D