RobotArmy
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Remotely controlled armed robots deployed in Iraq
While the Army is already taking good care of our wounded robots patrolling through Iraq, a recent deployment of three special weapons observation remote reconnaissance direct action systems (SWORDS) has placed rifle-equipped bots in the line of fire. The trio, which all handle M249s, are "are remotely controlled by a soldier through a terminal," and while their exact whereabouts and missions remain classified, the armed machines were reportedly designed to handle "high risk" combat scenarios if necessary. Currently, there's no record of a SWORD actually firing its weapon, but considering that each of these devices can potentially remove a human from harm, don't be surprised to see full blown platoons being unleashed when finances allow. [Via Wired]
iRobot announces "Sentinel" robot army project
Cheeky folk that they are, the engineers at iRobot have chosen Halloween to take the wraps off their latest super-secret project, codenamed "Sentinel" -- it won't clean your floors, but should it fall into the wrong hands, could make crumbs the least of your worries. Funded by the U.S. Army's Small Business Innovation and Research program, the project allows for multiple semi-autonomous robots to be controlled from a single touch-screen computer. While the intended uses for the project are mostly non-hostile at the moment -- like conducting surveillance and mapping in hostile environments -- it seems only a matter of time before the bots get outfitted with some pint-sized weaponry. Lets just hope they're restricted to fighting each other.
India announces plans to develop robot army
In an announcement that you can probably expect to be repeated by rival Pakistan in the next few days, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has claimed that his South Asian nation will be the latest country to pursue technologies for developing a robotic army. Singh's remarks came during the inauguration of a new building for the Defence Research and Development Organization, and were part of a larger speech outlining the country's future plans for military research, where he also mentioned interest in developing next-gen propulsion, camouflage, and precision guided munitions systems. Unlike South Korea's planned army of killbots (pictured), the Indian program is pretty light on specifics so far, although we do know that the impetus for the project comes from the realization that "trans-national actors and unconventional forces" pose a growing threat when compared to the risk of a traditional inter-state conflict.[Via Robot Gossip]
