Autonomous sniper system combines Xbox 360 controller, .338 rifle for deadly drone action
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Apr 17th 2009 10:23AM
posted Apr 17th 2009 10:23AM
You know how it is -- we're frightened and appalled by the thought of unmanned killing machines, but if they must exist we really, really want to play with one. The US Army's latest nightmarish deathcopter / awesome tech toy is a little something called the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS). Essentially a .338-caliber rifle mounted to the bottom of a Vigilante unmanned helicopter (though it could eventually be made to work on a Predator drone, for instance), this bad boy utilizes a modified Xbox 360 game controller for targeting while the vehicle itself stays put courtesy of its autopilot functions. Never again will your favorite sniper need to leave the comfort of his barracks! Airborne testing begins in July, with autonomy to come soon after that and a possible robot apocalypse estimated for Q4 2011.
BOOM HEADSHOT.
The world will eventually belong to the best video gamers... I've been preparing for this my entire life.
you're absolutely right, n00b!
I'm gonna pwn the world!
LOL you too?!
I bet they're already looking into developing aimbots though....
Typical camper remark to say his 'skills' help this aimbot, tisk tisk.
I bet they will also give them the ability to wall hackz :(
Now you won't even see them coming.
Good luck getting headshots with your 360 controller.. I'm going to pwnagate your fac3 with my keyboard/mouse..
This isn't unmanned (i.e. autonomous), it's remote-controlled. HUGE difference.
You're an idiot. All UAVs (UNMANNED aerial vehicles) are remotely piloted at least part of the time.
Then why did the Army name it the "Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System"?
@Matt
Don't call the kettle black. There certainly are autonomous UAV's.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
http://www.ida.liu.se/~patdo/auttek/index.html
@Tonicboy
Yeah I retract my statement until I get caffeine this morning.
The army named it autonomous so they have 'plausible deniability' probably.
This is the first of many flying machine prototypes for that secretive company known as Cyberdine Systems. Skynet becomes self-aware.
3 kills in a row lets you call in uav
LOL
This sure beats the Wii's Motion Plus addon.
What happens when they start making small jets. I've always thought an RC war would be awesome. Modify the rules of war to limit the size of rc robots.
Then let privately owned companies, and individuals participate. Japans legion on Asimo's stand no chance.
You mean like these?
http://rcjetmodels.com/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=49
Autonomous my ARSS.
Why do people think stuff like this is a good idea?
Because it can save lives.
Remote controlled ought to be good enough for anyone.
"dwakley @ Apr 17th 2009 10:49AM
Because it can save lives."
Was that supposed to be ironic?
Good q., some people are actually serious when they say such things, 'saving lives' indeed.. way to switch off the old brain without being hit even.
Perhaps specifically, save the lives of our combatants, while taking the lives of enemies. Thus, giving John Q. Soldier better odds of not coming home to Mrs. Soldier in a flag-draped box.
yeah but the point is somebody(probably innocent bystanders) will be killed by these. At least since its "autonomous" our Army will be able to avoid international law and rules of engagement.
Last time I checked real snipers didn't just go around whacking people willy-nilly like the mafia. Snipers have generally a very limited number of targets (1 or 2) and they are deployed to MINIMIZE collateral damage and unintentional casualties. I can't imagine that who ever is piloting this is going to be pretending they are playing Serious Sam, and it will in fact perform the same function (strategic strikes) as a in-the-flesh sniper would be.
The real enemy is always your own government, remember that simple rule.
@Draaaainage
Reality isn't like the movies and most snipers aren't working for the mob, snipers in afghanistan and iraq andsoforth kill people left and right and just guess if they are the enemy, and anyway once they are shot they are automatically labeled enemy or simply a 'threat', which in places were people all carry guns is easy.
They also have these that are used to "park" on a building or cliff so they do not have to hover. They can sit on a building for a lot longer period and just wait until its time.
Although with the use of XBox controllers I may be worried that the new "snipers" may get the munchies while waiting.
I see the evil geniuses rising, can't seem to find the cool heroes (super spy, international contractor, not even a platypus or a panda on a fedora hat) to stop them though... Which is you know, kinda worrying...
PS3 and Wii controllers around the world now live in fear!
This will never work until they build a remote controlled sac for tea-bagging terrorists. Then our entire military will be made up of pale skinned, socially awkward 12 year olds.
Acutally according to the ancient Mayans, the apocolypse will occur Q1 2012. So you are close.
it'll pwn all when they install aimbot on it.....
M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!!!
LOOOL! I remember CS! Wow, I want to play right now!
I think that's originally from quake
Unreal Tournament
The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield or at sea.
They will be fought in space, or possibly on top of a very tall
mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by
small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is
clear: To build and maintain those robots. Thank you.
Wars of the future will be the same as now, brainless morons killing everything that moves in 3rd world countries with embedded 'journalists' that lie their asses off.
And I think robots won't make it since the reality is that there are just a large number of people in every generation that want to personally kill people and that's why wars are started and why they join the army, not to sit in an office tabulating reports from robots, where's the 'fun' in that?
Now to use robots to intimidate your own population into submission in a way a actual human might be hesitant to do.. that's another story, this robot will probably be tested during some G20 summit to scare (and perhaps 'autonomously' shoot some) protesters.
Should have used a mouse and keyboard for first person shooting.
Agreed the Xbox 360 controller is an interesting choice... I'm thinking that Microsoft gave them some kind of deal on it.
except they probably used windows for the boxes, making the the 360 controller a natural choice, since it's supported well within windows (and it's more compact than a mouse/keyboard).
Laughing my Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System off !
(or maybe not)
What's the range of an Xbox 360 controller? How succeptible is it to RF interference? Seems like you'd need something more military-grade to control a weapon that can kill bad guys (or good ones with a glitch).
RTFA! (Read the Freakin Article)
"utilizes a modified Xbox 360 game contoller"
Are you dumb or just wanted to comment? You must be a PS# FanBoy/Girl
Seriously, I think the US Army thought of that before making the sketches!
(For Someone is here): Well, of COURSE the controller is MODIFIED, you moron. Nobody expects you could control something like this with a stock controller. It just doesn't say in what WAY it was modified, nor does the article address range, or my opinion on using military grade stuff instead of kid's toys to kill people. I think YOU just wanted to post a smartass comment without half thinking about the issues I raised.
Range is an important factor in something like this, because you probably want your sniper a good distance away from the bad guys, not having to sit 30 feet or so from them. I don't know what the range is on a 360 controller, but I'd wager it's not far enough to reliably operate a killing weapon in a real combat situation.
By the way, I own a 360 with HDMI, not a PS3.
I'd imagine that is a controller connected to a computer controlling it from miles away, not just the range of a standard 360 controller.
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down
That's not my department," says Wernher von Braun
-- Tom Lehrer
OK, so I'm confused. Why is an autonomous killing machine more frightening and appalling than existing weapons? Is it because no human is involved in the final choice of target? If so, I think we crossed that line a long time ago, as soon as killing somebody no longer required meeting them face to face. Here's a short list of weapons systems that, to a greater or lesser extent, blur the distinction between an autonomous kill and a conscious decision.
- Landmines, obviously. Their major effect is to kill civilians long after the conflict is over.
- Unexploded ordinance. Ditto.
- Booby traps including IEDs, if they aren't remote controlled.
- Chemical weapons. The person launching them knows roughly where they'll go, but not exactly.
- Artillery or bombs with less than perfect accuracy
- Artillery or bombs directed against civilian/industrial targets.
Is a ballistic missile that follows a pre-defined trajectory morally different from a cruise missile that adjusts its own course in-flight? Are both OK because a human pushed the initial button? If so, is an interceptor missile that launches automatically based on a detected threat and the absence of an IFF signal morally different? Are you good with it if a human has to OK the launch? How about if it launches by default unless a human countermands it?
To me, the distinction between pressing a button to launch a missile, not knowing for sure what's at the end of its trajectory, and pressing a button to launch a UAV, not knowing for sure who it might shoot, is moot. Both are equally appalling and frightening.
It's interesting that you have these issues, some things a human just feels as wrong you know, only a robot would need to have it all laid out in numbers, get in touch with your inner moral child :)
Also mines are now outlawed, seems all countries had an understanding about them.
And most missiles are expensive and take a whole chain of command to launch.
And when they use artillery they make damn sure no journalist goes to check the results, also an indication that they know that wasn't nice. Same goes for bombs, there's always a nice filtering going on to not show what happens in reality when you throw them.
Plus you forgot the incendiary weapons, look up what a fuel bomb does, something the US tested in iraq, but do it at a time when your stomach is empty, but again it's not mentioned by journalist on special request, and ask yourself why that is.
@Wwhat
Mines are outlawed??!! So are chemical weapons, doesn't stop someone from using them. It's a freaking war, what are we going to do, arrest them?
Mines have to be fabricated, and and companies, like fiat (the car maker), that made them could no longer do that when they went out of vogue, so what stops their use it the lack of availability. (mind you many of those IED's could be called homemade mines I guess.)
Plus it seems to work pretty well with mustard gas for instance, seldomly used now.
Awesome, put a mini-gun on the thing and send it into terrorist camps.
omg, I want this so bad! even if it just shoots airsoft pellets, I have wanted this since my earliest memories!!
I always secretly hated and disrespected people too, but I'm managing to stay in control :)
I KNEW IT! Xbox LIVE is the precursor to Ender's Game.
If I was a senator or congressman or president or anybody with any opportunity to do so I'd immediately start writing a bill to outlaw this, for all, including special CIA units and cheney's death squad and AT&T's lawyers, everybody.
pfft. Everyone knows the preferred controller for exceptionally accurate sniping is a mouse and keyboard.
Perhaps they thought that was a bit too unfair.
No, this one has auto-aim
Talk about a roflcopter
How hard did they think before they came up with an acronym that sounds like "arse?"
This concept has to scare the bejeezus out of the Secret Service.
to be fair, robot apocalypse is scheduled for Q4 2012.
Only the US Army could come up with an acronym like ARSS (ASS to our US cousins over the pond) for such a cool tech-toy.
I, for one, welcome our autonomous sniping helicopter overlords.
wasn't there a movie where a video game was actually a secret training exercise for the military and the highest scores were turned recruits...maybe it was an episode of clerks...
either way, xbox gamers will be the armys new recruits
ZOMG, finally!
I fly an RC heli myself, there is no way this is going to be able to replace a sniper (anyone who has tryed to to snipe with a .338 rifle for real will agree). Then there is the fact these things are so fragile, it would be too easy to shoot it down.
I think we all agree snipers are masters at concealment. Its an insult to call this a sniper.
Speaking of snipers I think i see one ove.... 330-1879
CARRIER LOST
Hatredcopter? No one?
Using an Xbox controller seems to make remote warfare even more like a game. Doesn't seem right when these upgraded toys are being used to kill real people.
Remember that your 'enemies' are often decied by the state. They are not your enemies until someone in a suit tells you so.
The .338 round also happens to be what the AWP uses in CS, so we all know what that means, right?