Autonomous "Raider" Combat Vehicle Takes Design Cues From The Batmobile

Those cheeky gents across the pond are taking design elements from the current incarnation of Batman and putting them into an autonomous assault vehicle called the Tumbler. Sorry, the Raider. You understand why there’s confusion—they look very similar!

Designed by BAE for the British military, the Raider would be ideal for “small, highly agile autonomous reconnaissance” missions and as an “attack vehicle which can carry a variety of payloads.”

And yes, this robo-tank is indeed inspired by Christopher Nolan’s version of the venerable Batmobile. Said BAE design project leader Hisham Awad:

“Well, why not? In all seriousness, we decided that we didn’t have a monopoly on inspiration, and if we saw something in a film that we thought might be a good idea, why not take a look at it and see if there’s something practical we can develop. You see, it turns like a motorbike and it has the same wheel configuration.”

The U.S. military, not to be outdone, is rumoured by me and my imagination to be testing tank prototypes based on the war machines found in Warhammer 40K. [The Engineer via CrunchGear]