Robot designers are currently duking it out for the British army in hopes of nabbing the hearts (and pocketbooks) of the UK's fighting force. In a makeshift "wartime European village," scientists and researchers are putting their helper-droids to the test as Army officials look on and investigate how the automatons might serve alongside troops. Some of the robots being looked at include a "Moon buggy" which remotely patrols for enemies via thermal imaging and then sends the data back to a command center, a helicopter that can be maneuvered in tight urban spaces, and a RC car with what appears to be a pile of digicams mounted on top of it. The winners of the competition will be announced Monday, but you can hit the read link and see a video -- replete with annoying British television presenter -- of some contestants.
[Thanks, Jack]
posted Aug 17th 2008 4:14PM
Our television presenters are annoying? That made me laugh considering how often I watch US news.
And I was going to say the presenter is actually quite cute.
I was hoping for Craig Charles (Red Dwarf, Robot Wars)
And I'm going to say you're actually quite wrong
She does have a slightly odd voice...I thought it was Konnie Huq (petite hottie, recently liberated from Blue Peter to present at large) at first. There should have been less talk and more killing with lasers.
Note, though, for non-native speakers: it's IH-rack. Not EYE-rack.
The last time I saw Konnie Huq she was fighting a protester for control of the Olympic torch.
j_g_puff: surely you mean "IRR-arch" instead of "IH-rack"?
Lai, I guess it depends how you pronounce IH.
j_g_puff: No, I meant the "rack" bit. I thought us Brits say "r-arch" instead.
whenever i see a robot in the pic of an article, i expect a vid containing at some point past the permalink
XBOX 360 cam ??
I was gonna get mad at the usual anti-britishness, but god she is annoying!
Is that a REVO? It certainly seems to be 1/8th due to the nitro engine, and the overly dampened shocks... It certainly seems to be a REVO due to the blue universal covers... The fuel on that isn't very "efficient" for use on the battlefield... I doubt it'll make it to any war. I know the US already has some Traxxas kits in commission, or at least that's what I heard over a year ago.
I was going to guess a REVO too - high five to a fellow R/Cer! Even if I race 1/10 IC
they make an electric revo now, i just bought one! its badass
I wonder if it has RPM arms.
Too bad they didn't base it off the Savage... Much more powerful truck, and a lot tougher, too.
Lightning Stadium PRO-R here :).
As you can see I'm into heli's too.
I think this is a stupid idea, nitro fuel is expensive, hard to come by and you have to be careful where you store it.
A much better idea would be electric, not only is there hardly any noise which will attract attention (none with the right setup) but you can recharge anywhere. It's also reliable and doesn't cut out every few mins like most nitro engines would do, specially under the harsh conditions of the army such as dust, gun fire bashing it around etc.
And at a guess 98% of people don't even know what to lean or to rich means...
TBH they're both nothing special, give me a day and I could do the car camera system.
Give me about a week and I could have a heli designed with the same system. I would hardly call it a helicopter though, more of a VTOL. Good luck taking that out in the wind.
What you want is a 600e CP heli, that'll make 'em run.
but those tires look the same as my stock savage 4.6 ss, strange combination
Loving the confusion between British and English in this post as well :)
Even the English find it confusing! Most of them call themselves British and have little sense of their own nationality. Just watch you don't call a Scotsman 'English' or 'British' when on vacation!
When the national English sports teams play they fly the flag of the U.K. (which includes other countries like Scotland and Wales who want the English opposition team to win!!!)
ENGLAND = British / English - the two are synonymous
SCOTLAND = Scottish
i didn't go to Wales or N.Ireland
The British Army is England's fighting force - just like the US Army is California's fighting force...
She is British and English, if you are Scottish then your are also British no matter how much you wish it wasn't so. We own you...
(Sorry, posted this in the wrong part of the thread ...)
@NM - trust me, the English are not confused over their British/Englishness - as a national of this fair island I can tell you we are all able to make the distinction, it's just people who look in can't :)
Take your whole sporting analogy - You say the English fly the Union Flag at sporting events, which isn't true. The England football team fly the St George's Cross. You say the Scots don't fly it but Rangers in Scotland do. You have a very simplistic approach to this argument and although my reply isn't in a great deal of depth I can assure you ... you wrong ;-)
@NM:
It's easy to combine four constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) into one country (Britain) for just about everything, except the most important thing - soccer. That's why Great Britain is my country's Olympic team (with British flag), but England is my country's soccer team (with English flag). And, because Britain isn't allowed to enter all four of its constituent countries' soccer teams into the Olympics, we therefore don't enter any! But we may create a combined British soccer team specially for the London Olympics in 2012. Not at all confusing... ;-)
Reporter: "Does it fly?"
Guy "................."
Guy "blah blah blah"
Guy "no"
@NM - trust me, the English are not confused over their British/Englishness - as a national of this fair island I can tell you we are all able to make the distinction, it's just people who look in can't :)
"for the British army in hopes of nabbing the hearts (and pocketbooks) of England's fighting force."
The British army is the fighting force for England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. [The United Kindgom of Great Britain]
Thats a bit like saying
"for the American army in hopes of nabbing the hearts (and pocketbooks) of Arizona's fighting force."
I know ROW maps are hard to find in America but at least try.
That machine looks like ti was bought yesterday from radio shack! And the helicopter hasn't even flown yet! Is this the best on show?
That's the biggest microphone I've ever seen!
Did nobody notice the link on that page titled "Final Skynet satellite launched"? We're all doomed.
"a small man with a rifle"
that phrase and the subsequent image it created made me lol hard.
Why does he need 6 rotors?
I can get a perfectly flyable model helicopter from a shop a couple of blocks away, no patent required. And it will fly before that 'scalper' will.
Also, it isn't a "makeshift "wartime European village," " but actually are part of a very permenant training facility which was designed to simulate urban warfare in a West German hamlet style of location. Interestingly, there is a similar facility on the south coast of England which simulates the same high density urban environment that you would find in central Belfast or Derry. All hush hush mind you and I doubt that its used anymore.
Anyway, focus on what you know Engadget and leave the Military double-guessing to Wired.com's Danger Room blog. This is kind of like saying that Fort Bragg has a "makeshift training area for America's Airborne forces".
Enough with the hosts and the English/British thing!
They might as well just buy Mk II ! (from MSG4)
I like it when he presents the helicopter the little buggybot drives into the background and demands attention. Cute little thing, eh?
Yes. That is a moded REVO 3.3 from Traxxas
Must be a brushless conversion, otherwise the engine vibration would ruin the video/images. Could use some preload spacers or stiffer springs.