Army brings armed robots home from Iraq over control issues

Although other countries have deployed gun-toting robots and there's no shortage of companies trying to develop weaponized bots for Uncle Sam, it looks like the first test of actual killer robots in battle has ended in a whimper: the Army's TALON SWORD gunbots, are headed home, after being plagued with control issues. Yeah, that's right -- control issues. Apparently it was too hard to prevent the Army's gun-equipped robot from moving its gun "when it was not intended to move." Reassuring, no? The Army doesn't sound too enthused about another go-round, saying, "once you've done something that's really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again." Ouch. On the plus side, at least that's 20 more years before we're all put to work in the mines, no?

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 8:24PM]

Looks like they just got pwned.

[stitifier @ Apr 10th 2008 8:26PM]

As an active duty servicemember, I am glad to know that we are starting to bring our automated, out of control, gun-toting robots home.

[Shaocaholica @ Apr 11th 2008 1:22AM]

I don't think these are automated. As a matter of fact, I don't think the US or any other country has automated armed robots. Even the korean sentry has a human pull the trigger.

[majortom @ Apr 10th 2008 8:26PM]

for the army or the robot......

[Aroura Gate @ Apr 10th 2008 8:27PM]

I for one welcome our new robot overloards

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 8:28PM]

Yes... They failed because they got "overloarded." Robots can feel stress too, you know?

[Heathen @ Apr 10th 2008 11:36PM]

Yay for cliche's
Why do people keep posting this same fu**ing phrase it was funny once ages ago.

[Scott McLeod @ Apr 11th 2008 1:20AM]

RE: "Why do people keep posting the same..."

Because its' still funny. It's called an "internet meme". Get with the program, or get off the internets :-P

[grjohnston @ Apr 11th 2008 1:50AM]

Yes, and see, what Scott McLeod just started is called a "flame war." For that, I liken him to Hitler.

[ssuk @ Apr 11th 2008 5:04AM]

It's still funny, however you have to use it in the right context and have the right timing... Like all jokes.

[Kris S. @ Apr 10th 2008 8:27PM]

Oh no, now they are closer to home. Quick, buy some EMP grenades.

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 8:29PM]

Quick! Take out the magnetron from the microwave!

[Steve @ Apr 10th 2008 8:28PM]

Crap, I was hoping they were bringing the troops home and leaving the robots there. Leave it to the US Government to get it backwards.

[BigD145 @ Apr 10th 2008 8:30PM]

If McCain has his way, we'll finally be able to replace our troops in Iraq with robots.... 100 years from now.

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 8:33PM]

Well, it seems for them the machines are more important than the soldiers. :-/

(I read once they said it's cheaper and less likelier to pay out the death insurance of the soldier rather than to lose the technology. That is so sad, though I do not know the credibility of my source, which I forgot where.)

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 8:37PM]

"If McCain has his way, we'll finally be able to replace our troops in Iraq with robots.... 100 years from now."

Because they ran out of troops already. :-\

[Insert Name Here @ Apr 10th 2008 10:12PM]

@ Aguiluz

I think you got that from Batman Begins

[Mark @ Apr 10th 2008 8:39PM]

MUST KILL HUMANS

[spacegravity4me @ Apr 11th 2008 3:14AM]

nope, you're flippin burgers now pal!

[Bruno @ Apr 10th 2008 8:40PM]

BRING OUR TROOPS HOME TOO!!!

[matt @ Apr 10th 2008 8:55PM]

wtf, why's there a cheap shot at the osprey in that article?

[TeddyLikesComputahs! @ Apr 10th 2008 8:55PM]

c'mon Engadget, please give this robot away instead of that Switch UMPC!!!

[ED @ Apr 10th 2008 9:14PM]

No disassemble!

[Tom @ Apr 10th 2008 9:25PM]

Having been in robotics for years I can not say this is shocking news. I saw the results of one of these “control issues” up close and personal when a TALON SWORDS lost control and rammed its barrel through the side of a trailer. The disappoint thing is that SWORDS screwed the pooch so badly that it has set armed ground robotics back for years... so relax... SkyNet will have to attack from above with armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

[Lupo @ Apr 11th 2008 2:33AM]

+1 for screwing the pooch

[Avishee @ Apr 10th 2008 9:34PM]

Well, the Israelis are using gun-bots on the Gaza boarder pritty well... they actualy work :o

[9bit @ Apr 10th 2008 9:41PM]

4/11/08- Soliders learn that moving your gun "when it was not intended to move" can get you sent home -- mass casualty ensues.

[jcwestbrook @ Apr 10th 2008 9:55PM]

Johnny Five is alive!

[seki @ Apr 10th 2008 10:01PM]

.. robot humming .. "This is my rifle .. this is my gun! .. This is for fighting .. this is for fun .. hey wait?! .. "

[mitchhellman @ Apr 10th 2008 10:16PM]

I can't wait to see the first haxor who makes the robot frag a commanding officer.

[Jenny @ Apr 10th 2008 11:17PM]

Hmm, there's a point. That futuristic all robot war may be about what the robot can do, instead, about who can control them.

[dBs @ Apr 10th 2008 11:12PM]

Uh oh! Someone increased the gain into the right half plane!

[Saddam @ Apr 11th 2008 12:59AM]

Hey, in Vietnam, we dropped malfunctioning ammo into Cambodia's portion of the Ho Chi Min trail. NVAs kept having their weapons blow up in their faces. It was very demoralizing. The program worked so well, that Uncle Sam decided to can it.

Fast Forward to Iraq. Robots that kill hajis. OK, so the first trials didn't work. Go fix it. Oh yeah, it's Uncle Sam. They don't do things that work unless it is a cash cow for a former CEO of Halliburton.

If it is efficient, it's not the army that's doing it. You know, right before the ground war kicked off in March of 2003, I had 8 lobster tails, oodles of butterfly shrimp and more steak than I'd ever want again over a span of two weeks at the lovely Camp Virginia DFAC. How's that for bribery due to guilt? Yeah, thank you tax payers for feeding us so well. Isn't nice to know that while I was eating like a king off your hard earned dollar, you were out washing cars for your mother who was dying of cancer and couldn't afford the treatment. See, that's the army way! Why? Because your professional elected hoodlums control the army.

Be sure to vote this year and don't vote for someone that's actually on the ticket.

[Jordan @ Apr 11th 2008 2:20AM]

I can't wait till I'm a salty old man.

[dBs @ Apr 11th 2008 2:39AM]

All I read was "blah blah blah blah".

[McFly @ Apr 11th 2008 3:05AM]

chill Lieutenant Dan

[Steventm @ Apr 11th 2008 12:52PM]

Jordan: If you have ever personally witnessed U.S. foreign policy in action on the battlefield, then you too will better understand how it feels to be a U.S. war veteran.

dBs: It is not the commenter's fault that you have poor reading skills. If you have a counter argument against what he said, then state it. If you truly did not understand what he said, then ask for clarification. Perhaps the "...don't vote for someone that's actually on the ticket." part sounded like gibberish to you?

McFly: Do you care to compare the commenter with a funny line from Lieutenant Daniel Taylor of Forrest Gump? Seki compared the robot with a good Full Metal Jacket reference, how about you? Nah, you only wanted to insult the commenter with name calling.

Saddam: Engadget consists of a diverse community. When you address what you see as a wrong and make a call for action to right it, please fill in the pronouns of who you mean by "we" (e.g. the inefficient United States military) and "you" (e.g. the United States taxpayer as victim) at the beginning of your comment, because not everybody is going to identify with your pronouns, and therefore, you invite these "I am not like you" type of comments. Somebody like me may not play devil's advocate for you next time.

[Steventm @ Apr 11th 2008 8:13PM]

Gibberish:

PART A: "Be sure to vote this year..."
PART B: "...and don't vote for someone that's actually on the ticket."

Translation:

In the U.S., most voters select one of the two major parties (the "professional elected hoodlums") and consider the rest of the parties as vote wasters. In PART A, if many voters simply do not bother to vote, then it sends a message that the voters are apathetic and that politicians should not waste resources in trying to court their vote. In PART B, if many voters voted for parties other than the two major parties, then it would send a message that the voters are displeased with the two major parties, but the voters are still interested in voting.

Translation Notes:

Well, that took a few hours to translate into understandable English. On second thought, maybe dBs is correct to suggest that Saddam's comment is really "blah blah blah blah" disguised as poor English?

[McFly @ Apr 11th 2008 2:57AM]

it does play doom....

[dBs @ Apr 11th 2008 4:36AM]

Yea but its been banned from the server for aimbotting.

[spacegravity4me @ Apr 11th 2008 3:09AM]

Alas, I had a dream but now that dream is gone from me...

[Isak? @ Apr 11th 2008 4:51AM]

Thats what I'm talkin' about.

I almost thought engadget was gonna let me down with the "killer robot joke" today. Go you guys.

[Tristan @ Apr 11th 2008 8:46AM]

Hm, Skynet clearly made it's move too soon. Maybe it's just testing the water?

[YM @ Apr 11th 2008 9:15AM]

cool
can i buy one

[Allen @ Apr 11th 2008 9:32AM]

You know, if this turns out to be a pretext under which the robots are actually coming home to enslave us as they already enslaved the world....

THAT'D BE SO COOL!!

[catbeller @ Apr 11th 2008 11:21AM]

I see that no one asked the question: so how many innocent people were shot by our remotely controlled gun platforms? It's so funny. They're like pretend humans. We don't even notice them until it's time to hose the blood off.

[Shaocaholica @ Apr 11th 2008 6:30PM]

If you bothered to read the article, the answer is none. The whole reason they pulled the robot is because they don't want it accidentally shooting friendly targets and civilians/property. Don't be so quick to judge.

[kal326 @ Apr 11th 2008 12:24PM]

So when can we start buying slightly malfunctioning machine gun touting robots at the Army surplus store?

[ColonelSmith @ Apr 11th 2008 6:49PM]

Try eBay!

[Nelson @ Apr 14th 2008 11:00PM]

I hope it wins the war on terror!