Marine Corps Wants a Throwable Robot

coondoggie writes "The US Marine Corps has a request — build and rapidly deploy more 10lb-or-under robots its personnel can throw into dangerous situations that can quickly gather information without endangering Marines. The throwable robot is part of a family of robots that would range from the 10lb version to one that would act as a central controlling device and weigh close to 300lbs. Marine commanders are demanding ever lighter robots so that troops don't have to offload critical equipment from their rucksacks to accommodate them."

The Marine Corps Should Watch Futureweapons

[dummondwhu]

Or maybe it's Modern Marvels. I've been seeing all kinds of robots over the last couple of years on these shows. I saw one that was like a little pair of wheels with a camera on the axle and what looked like a weighted antenna hanging off the back (to keep it oriented correctly). Soldiers would throw it into a room and drive it around looking for hidden bad guys or booby traps. Then, there was one that was a little track-driven thing that had a machine gun mounted on it. They were even talking about the possibility of making them rather autonomous at some point in the future.

All this stuff seems to be in the development pipeline, so I'm not exactly sure what they're asking for.

As a former Active Duty Marine,

[Anonymous Coward]

I would prefer a *reliable* device that added *as little as possible* to the 70lbs I already carry, that "just works," even after I throw it, drop it, sit on it in sand and gets shot twice. If it still does the job, I'll buy the damn thing myself...

unfortunately, a lot of this tech doesn't work that well, that's why k-bars and bayonets are still issued.

Also, I agree that robots should be carrying gear so I can kick some $given_enemy butt.

CAPTCHA: "uncouth" coincidence?

Metric

[rocketpants]

For anyone that doesn't live in one of the three countries [metric4us.com] in the world that persists with imperial units, 10lbs is about 4.5kg.

They already have throwable robots.

[Animats]

There are already throwable robots. The iRobot PackBot is sometimes thrown through a window to get a look inside a house. The USMC would like something a bit smaller, but the concept already works.

Previous urban tactics were to throw in a grenade or demolish houses with artillery and tanks, so there's been some progress.

It Exists! - The Scout from Recon Robotics

[Amadablam]

(Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with this company, but I know somebody who is. I should talk to him about a "complimentary robot for referrals" program.) http://reconrobotics.com/ [reconrobotics.com] Recon Robotics makes a product called the Scout that is designed specifically for this purpose. Each robot weighs only 1.2 pounds, is deployable and easily controllable by a single soldier, and is relatively inexpensive compared to other combat-ready robot technologies. I know I want one. ;)

Re:Syntax error

[Sir_Lewk]

There were a few Asimov stories that effectively switched the first and second laws by simply having robots with modified definitions of what "human" meant. Interesting stuff.

Link has audio!

[Blakey Rat]

Jesus Christ, WARN US when the site auto-plays extremely LOUD audio. I almost shit myself.

Re:Cognitive dissonance, thy name is liberal

[Daniel Dvorkin]

How a liberal, who generally is in favor of bigger government, can rail against the waste that is endemic in a big government and yet cannot recognize the dissonance between those two desires and grow up is beyond me, but that's an aside for now.

[sigh] Liberals, like conservatives and libertarians and people of just about every other political philosophy, want government to do certain things and not do certain other things. Nobody is in favor of "big government" generally, and people who tell you they're in favor of "small government" are generally lying -- they always want to shrink some parts of government and expand others. Libertarians are kinda-sorta the exception, but libertarians who align themselves with conservatives are fools, because conservatives are guaranteed to produce just as big a government as liberals, only they'll try to do it without paying.

cutting waste is a noble goal

[circletimessquare]

i wholeheartedly support it

but the usa only ranks 27th in military spending

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures#List_of_countries_by_military_expenditure_as_a_percentage_of_GDP [wikipedia.org]

Re:10lbs...throwable?

[Old97]

This isn't diplomacy with quid pro quo. They already know you are there. They would have done that when you arrived if that' what they were up to. Since they didn't they are trying to avoid detection either until you go away or until you step into their ambush zone.

Re:They already have throwable robots.

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually Qinetiq/Automatika's Dragon Runner is already designed to be throwable since it runs as easily right side up as upside down (they are really the same). It only weighs 16 pounds and is in use. It can be thrown through a second story window. They are looking for a lighter version of this.

The iRobot Packbot is bigger. It weighs in over 40 pounds. It has been rolled through a window and can flip itself over if necessary.

Re:They should send in a giant robotic dog

[Dishevel]

Troll is a bit harsh. Parent is correct. Smart weapons. People on the ground. Satellite Intelligence. The truth is the US is a leader in not killing innocents. The fact is that civilians die in battles. But the US spends lots of money in very difficult situations to minimize that as much as possible without just saying "Fuck it" and letting the enemy go.

Sure. Mistakes happen. Bad intelligence and the like. The truth is though alot of people get away because we do not want to kill civilians. The parent is also corrent that in many areas of the world the civilian populations allow the terrorists to hide within their population. If it cost them more they might be less willing to do it.

Re:RTFA - they want Dragon Runner v.2

[stuckinphp]

Kind of like boston polices rubber bouncy ball camera that self stabalizes [usatoday.com].. from 2005..