Here it is, the first of its kind on the battlefield: a twin-track, rolling, bomb-sniffing, gun-toting, go-anywhere, Transformers-like robotic platform. SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Remote Reconnaissance Direct-Action System) is a robotic command and control unit. Unlike some of the more autonomous robots, SWORDS integrates human intervention with high-tech sensors for detecting explosive devices, which keeps human intelligence in the loop. Pack all that with high-powered weaponry and what you have is a 350-pound, heavily armed all-condition soldier. The SWORD can fire 240,000 rounds per minute. That's compared to 60 rounds per minute in a standard military machine gun.
This UGV is the first tactical unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Gladiator. is a tele-operated, semi-autonomous vehicle, designed to increase human survival by neutralizing threats and reducing risk to Marines on the ground. The UGV will be equipped with remote, unmanned scout, reconnaissance, and surveillance capabilities. When the Gladiator is out working in the field, a marine will be a safe distance away, controlling the UGV with a controller modeled from popular video game systems
A robot is a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command.
Everyone knows that being a soldier is a dangerous job, but some of the tasks that soldiers are required to do are more dangerous than others. Walking through minefields, deactivating unexploded bombs or clearing out hostile buildings, for example, are some of the most dangerous tasks a person is asked to perform in the line of duty.
What if we could send robots to do these jobs instead of humans? Then, if something went wrong, we'd only lose the money it cost to build the robot instead of losing a human life. And we could always build more robots.
The U.S. military has been developing robotic systems for all sorts of jobs for years now, and some of them are even on the front lines in Iraq.
This high flying long range Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV) is the ideal “Eye in the Sky” prowler. Developed by General Atomics Aeronautics System, the MQ-9 Reaper is designed for high-altitude, long-endurance battlefield reconnaissance. The Reapers high powered engine allows it to stay airborne for 14 hours and carry a payload of 800 pounds with a maximum weapons payload of 1.5 tons
