South Korea enlists armed sentry robots to patrol DMZ
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 13th 2010 2:49PM
posted July 13th 2010 2:49PM
South Korea has been working on deploying armed sentry robots along the border with North Korea since at least as far back as 2006, and it looks like it's still keeping at it. While complete details are a bit light, they country apparently put a pair of new sentry robots in place in the Demilitarized Zone last month, which pack both a machine gun and a grenade launcher to ward off intruders. Those would of course be controlled by humans, but the robots apparently use heat and motion sensors to do all the monitoring on their own, and simply alert a command center if they spots a trespasser. Of course, they are still just in the testing phase, and the military says it's waiting to see how things work out before it begins a more widespread deployment.
Update: According to Stars and Stripes, the gun-toting robot in question is a Samsung Techwin SGR-1 (now pictured above). If the video after the break is any indication, South Korea certainly seems to have made the right choice.
Update: According to Stars and Stripes, the gun-toting robot in question is a Samsung Techwin SGR-1 (now pictured above). If the video after the break is any indication, South Korea certainly seems to have made the right choice.
i hate war, but at least this can prevent the deaths of human patrols.
ALL YOUR BASE...
@patrickgs yes because these robots will only be shooting at other robots.
@CadmarHuxtable my point is, that there will still be less deaths. These Robots will shoot at Humans for sure, but they cant "die". Human Patrols would kill and get killed.
@patrickgs
did they get native koreans or someone else with english as a second language to write this?
" they country apparently put a pair "
" if they spots a trespasser"
or maybe popeye?
@cameronsipod oh sod off its two marginal mistakes. If you wrote this stuff all day long I'm sure you would mess up every once in a while too.
@centizen Still, having two such elementary mistakes isn't engadget like. I know they make mistakes every now and then, but never two in one article.
@patrickgs
the robots are ok with that; maybe fewer human deaths now, but many more in the long run. ahh, to not be a short-sighted human.
@patrickgs - yah, but unfortunately its been happening for 2000+ years and it will be happening for the rest of time. fighting is the one thing anyone can do. weather your good at it or not is a different thing tho.
@CadmarHuxtable You are extremely short sighted, If your theory was correct then the Drones over Afghanistan are shooting other robots? Weapons are made to KILL PEOPLE!!!
@Xtole somebody set us up the bomb
@ZLiberator good job on the sarcasm detection, buddy.
@ZLiberator Wow, he was being sarcastic. You know, like a joke?
@Xtole ARE BELONG TO ME!
Terminator, Beta release :P
@Oflife
This is pretty crude, I'd say Alpha if anything.
@admlshake
Why do you say that?
@tikigawd
I wouldn't even call it Alpha, because they are human controlled and don't have the AI.
Wouldn't a Maginot Line of sensor and armament loaded towers be simpler? Oh wait, that's what Arizona wants to put in place.
@Sp4rky
Cant go over it, cant go under it, cant go through it...
guess I'll go around it
@Pacey The one plus Korea has over France it being a penninsula and all it's possible to acutally block the width on land. That leaves over, under and swimming. One out of four down.
@Pacey Actually, North Koreans tried to go under it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Tunnel_of_Aggression
Programed using $5 communist Linux.
@Dante of the Inferno
South Koreans aren't communist.
@Dante of the Inferno
You might want to look up the Korean War,
actually I'll do it for you - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War
@Dante of the Inferno - :facepalm:
Notice the guy staring right into the machine gun?
they should hire kids for these jobs because kids like to play with guns these days.
GET TO THE CHOPPER!
DMZ = Demilitarized Zone
Wouldn't placing a device with machine guns and grenades violate a treaty of some kind and/or encourage North Korea to respond?
@Graig2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone
It's got over 1 million land mines and is the most fortified border on the planet.
The DMZ has restrictions on personnel numbers and weapons types allowed in it, it's not demilitarized at all
All of this has happened before...
The future is scary.
@Trickymaster Damn future, you scary.
@Trickymaster - If you think that's scary wait until they start to wage war with computer calculations and NO actual bombs! Sounds great doesn't it, yea but the trekies reading this know exactly where I'm going ;^p.
The computers on both sides say (based on offensive or defensive calculations) that a certain sector of a city was hit. It then calculates the casualty rate and people by law are REQUIRED to report to the nearest termination chamber to voluntarily end their existence! The goal is to not destroy property, landmarks, natural resources, works of art, timeless architecture , etc. but eliminate people. It all work so well (population control, disputes settled, no radiation, no pollution, no maiming, no destroyed cities, no unintended deaths).
Yes, it all worked so well until Cap n Kirk messed it all up. The jerk, LOL... And what ever happened to adhering to the "prime directive?" Sayin...
@Frankenstein Black Were you one of the ones discussing this over @ Slashdot earlier? I liked that episode, one of the ones that gave ST it's "hard" sci-fi cred.
The robot has a G36c. That's pretty cool.
PS-- This is South Korea, so it doesn't have to use communist Linux.
It must be the day to announce all of the stuff our future robot overlords will use against us, this and that Boeing unmanned aircraft as well
Great Leader says North Korea is Best #1 Korea.
Can they be sure that these robots won't defect?
@bj55555
3 Laws of Robotics
@d0mth0ma5
This robot already breaks the first rule
"1.)A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."
@nate345
Well one out of three ain't bad...
@nate345 This is where the Zeroth law is applied, and we're all doomed!
Where are the mech suits already? Don't these defense contractors have any imagination? Didn't they grow up watching Voltron and Tranzor Z like the rest of us?
@nefnet13 i have heard rumblings rumours they are in the works,and highly top secret ,mostly by the usa,one military general once said they have stuff at s4 that looks out of this world and is like 50 years ahead of tech that is in public view
ps here is also a picture of a voltron http://plasticmissile.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/gundam_6_large.jpg
Where do I buy one?
all i can think is maximum overdrive.
But wouldn't the "trespassers" that it detects be people fleeing North Korea into the south?
DEmilitarised zone with machine guns and grenade launchers?-D
why not just call it border zone in that case.