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Army Plans Swarms of Military Bug-Robots, Bringing Sci-Fi to Life
Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 11:05 PM on May 2, 2008
The rather beautiful looks of the robot in this image hide the fact that in reality it would be part of a swarm of military bots designed to creep into caves, bunkers and other hostile areas to grab intel on the baddies hiding within. Yes: it sounds like Minority Report, Dr Who and Robot Wars all rolled into one. And yes: it might just end up as a real machine, since BAE Systems has just been awarded US$38 million by the Army Research Lab to head up the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology project to develop the technology. The promotional video gives us a few more clues, despite its game-like looks, and if you don't like spiders then the image of one of the other potential drone bots will surely give you the heebyjeebies.
And here's one of those spiders in more detail:
The intention is that the consortium led by BAE will perform research into developing an "autonomous, multifunctional collection of miniature intelligence-gathering robots" which will operate in places "too inaccessible or dangerous for humans." So, soldiers in the field would be able to deploy the bots and gain a tactical advantage in dangerous situations, or potentially gather evidence they wouldn't have been able to previously. The University of Michigan, the University of Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania are partners too, along with University of California at Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory among others.
Don't expect the robots to be a reality any time soon though, as all these science and engineering teams face an extraordinary number of scientific and technical obstacles to be overcome. Things like small-scale aeromechanics, propulsion, sensors, navigation and ambulation. Only then will the little flapping, crawling insect-things be possible, though part of me hopes the leaping spider thing never gets made— it's just too nasty for words. [BAE Systems via Danger room]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Subterfuge
Posted 12:26 AM 3/5/08
If I wanted to watch counter-strike I would *play* counter-strike.
Would Jesus send a remote control bomb to location A or B?
Subterfuge
zenpoet
Posted 12:21 AM 3/5/08
Though I do think that small scale propulsion and ambulation are probably difficult, I would assume that making reliable and servicable power sources are likely the most difficult.
I like to see that "they" continue to look to nature for examples, as obviously the subject creatures have had a few years to get their modes of movement worked out.
And by a few, I mean thousands.
zenpoet
N@tedog
Posted 12:20 AM 3/5/08
@liveinvt: Ha! Touche. I bet they could turn them into remote grenades though.
N@tedog
liveinvt
Posted 12:18 AM 3/5/08
@N@tedog: Those don't apply to the Pentagon. Where've you been living? Sweden?
liveinvt
TheCyberBob
Posted 12:17 AM 3/5/08
Is it just me or does that spider have a certain Matrix drone look about it? You know like a beta model or something.
TheCyberBob
N@tedog
Posted 12:15 AM 3/5/08
@Munch: Because its against the Geneva Convention and the United Nations Charter.
N@tedog
liveinvt
Posted 12:11 AM 3/5/08
@Curves: You just killed a cop! That's a felony...
liveinvt
chicago111
Posted 12:10 AM 3/5/08
All I wanted was frickin' lasers on their frickin' heads
chicago111
Curves
Posted 12:02 AM 3/5/08
Mechanical or not, I see that critter and he is going to be stomped ASAP with zero regard for his rights or mission.
Squash.
Curves
Monty
Posted 11:54 PM 2/5/08
Right. That sounds like it is worth 38 million to me.
(Does anyone audit our defense department, aside from, you know, the defense department?)
Monty
Argyle
Posted 11:52 PM 2/5/08
Picture a swarm of locusts but all armed with poison stingers... It's the Future!
Argyle
Gann
Posted 11:47 PM 2/5/08
Replace "intelligence-gathering" with "bathroom cleaning" and I'll take a dozen or so.
Gann
apeguero
Posted 11:38 PM 2/5/08
So is this the same company that had the major security breach with the JSF project?
apeguero
liveinvt
Posted 11:38 PM 2/5/08
The Romulans are approaching! Shields up! Red Alert! Scotty, ready the torpedoes!
We can't sahr! She's a bloody insect!
Frak!
liveinvt
flyboy
Posted 11:37 PM 2/5/08
NCG
nice computer graphics
flyboy
Illusive
Posted 11:30 PM 2/5/08
Actually it looks like it has 7 legs. Maybe they took a gimped long leg spider that had one of its legs pulled off by some elementary kid as their inspiration...
Illusive
DustyButt
Posted 11:26 PM 2/5/08
When will these be armed with poisoned darts, like I asked?
Hmmm?
DustyButt
bms
Posted 11:26 PM 2/5/08
Great....this is all we need.
[www.djcentral.com]
bms
Munch
Posted 11:25 PM 2/5/08
What, no robo-mosquitos? Why not just give them terrorists robo-malaria, robo-westnile, or robo-birdflu? And that robo-spider's a pussy! 6 legs, and no cyanide-injecting fangs. I want my robo-spiders to look like they came from Arachnophobia, not Charlotte's Web.
Munch
liveinvt
Posted 12:51 AM 3/5/08
@N@tedog: Is there a difference between a remote grenade and a missile? lol :)
liveinvt
qbrad
Posted 12:44 AM 3/5/08
@zenpoet: The army is going to break out the alien tech on this one. A few more years and they'll have "discovered" H5 engiones and then we;re all screwed. Er, more than before.
qbrad
Munch
Posted 12:41 AM 3/5/08
@N@tedog: Party pooper.
Munch
geekinky
Posted 12:40 AM 3/5/08
next:....."ROBO-CRABS"!
that shampoo won't kill 'em.
geekinky
designguybrown
Posted 1:28 AM 3/5/08
ahhh - nothing would warm my heart better than to see a flock (or is that swarm or perhaps throng or horde) of locust-bots with individual arachno-cams descending upon a herd of un-suspecting al qaeda operatives trying to flee their pending 'shredding' - CNN film at 11.
designguybrown
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
Posted 1:28 AM 3/5/08
farkin sweet!!! now we need to pack a few thousand of these to pack into this guy... [gizmodo.com] and we could rule all... Peace through the uber-heebie geebies. these guys would just creep everyone into submission.
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
Kaiser-Machead
Posted 1:25 AM 3/5/08
I'm with Curves on this one. If the remote pilot of this sucker thinks that this reconnaissance mission under my stove will be a success, I'd like to see it contend with the bottom of my size 13 vermin destroyers.
Kaiser-Machead
Brock
Posted 2:04 AM 3/5/08
@bms: Holy crap, I was actually thinking of that movie when I saw the picture of the spider. I would have no idea how to find any references to it however, other than reading through Tom Selleck's IMDB page an hope something jumps out at me. I bow to your pop culture mastery.
Brock
mricyfire
Posted 1:56 AM 3/5/08
funny vid..anytime i see CGI i know it isnt coming out anytime soon. Also when they found the bad guys they could havve used two bullets to the back of the head, or a grenade...but no they send a plane to blow the whole building up anyways hahaha
mricyfire
Guy-Fawkes
Posted 2:34 AM 3/5/08
@ N@tedog "it's against the Geneva Convention"
So is torturing prisoners, but that didn't bother the Bush Administration, did it?
Guy-Fawkes
OG512
Posted 3:10 AM 3/5/08
just put into battle one of those bigdog quadrupeds! that'll scare teh shit outta any terroist with an IED.
OG512
ripfire4
Posted 2:43 AM 3/5/08
Wow! All of the sudden, we seem to have invented a small source of unlimited battery power.
ripfire4
OtisCabeal
Posted 1:43 AM 3/5/08
Comment on Army Plans Swarms of Military Bug-Robots, Bringing Sci-Fi to Life Tens of millions of dollars in tiny robots countered buy 10s of dollars in mosqito netting.
OtisCabeal
ps61318
Posted 3:45 AM 3/5/08
@Curves: Yeah, but what if the military encases a REAL spider or scorpion inside these things, and as soon as you smoosh one, the REAL arachnid comes out and bites you on the ankle?
What THEN? Huh?
Oh, you'd squish that too? One smooth motion you say. Not even gonna pause to draw breath, you say.... Hmmmmmm....
Alright, back to the drawing board....
ps61318
ps61318
Posted 3:42 AM 3/5/08
I was thinking more of the 'bots in Minority Report - those had retinal scanners and tasers to get people's cooperation.
Did you know (duh, of course you did) that they actually built an apartment building and took the top off for that scene? Awesome.
ps61318
One2ManyCords
Posted 3:29 AM 3/5/08
just get me a can of RAID
Really
Annoying
Insecticon
Destroyer
That should do the trick
One2ManyCords
pferde_schwanz
Posted 3:23 AM 3/5/08
@ripfire4: they're powered by miniature nuclear reactors.
pferde_schwanz
shamoononon
Posted 4:24 AM 3/5/08
Actually, a very awesome creation.
shamoononon
ripfire4
Posted 4:09 AM 3/5/08
@ps61318: Stick a push-pin on its back pointing up. Problem solved!
ripfire4
misterwight
Posted 4:46 AM 3/5/08
Anyone else notice that the soldier deploying the robot that deploys more robots was actually a robot himself? Look at those arms - that's just not natural.
misterwight
Lester56
Posted 5:27 AM 3/5/08
Brought to you by Stark Industries.
Lester56
kstop
Posted 5:41 AM 3/5/08
Patrick Farley [www.e-sheep.com]">did it.
Unfortunately he also forgot to renew his domain, so good luck reading it.
kstop
gmaxwell447
Posted 5:39 AM 3/5/08
@OtisCabeal: Or, if you can't find mosquito netting, I'm sure you can find a wideband jammer which will incapacitate the little buggers by preventing them from communicating with the Mother Ship.
gmaxwell447
GadgetPlay
Posted 8:12 AM 3/5/08
@Guy-Fawkes: Terrorists aren't covered by the Geneva Conventions. Read'em.
GadgetPlay
Uncle Remus
Posted 11:54 AM 3/5/08
The enemy would just create robot sparrows to eat our robot dragonflies. Then we would create robot cats to eat their robot sparrows. Then they would create robot dogs to eat our robot cats. Then we would create robot lions to eat their robot dogs... and finally we would create robots to create robots to fight their robots and they would create robots to counter our robot creating robots... and we could all just sit back and watch them all battle it out on tv. Of course I would have my own robot bringing me beer and making me fresh nachos while I watched.
Uncle Remus