back to article US Army dalek assassins to pack mini-missiles?

The US Army is looking to develop a range of miniaturised guided missiles for use by its robot warriors of the future, according to reports. Each missile could be the size of a large party cracker. Under its Future Combat System (FCS) programme, the US Army plans to kit itself out with all kinds of futuristic gear. Originally, …

COMMENTS

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  1. John Latham

    Overcompensating?

    >> .. appears that each missile will be perhaps 18 inches long and weigh two pounds...The new US initiative seems to suggest a guided missile not much bigger than a tube of Pringles...a trouser-pocket thermobaric bomb...<<

    Is it just me, or are these death-tech people trying to (over)compensate for something?

    Surely bullets would do the killing well enough, and offer better accuracy and selectivity.

    John

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bullets v bombs

    Hard to bring a building (even a 2nd/3rd world low regulation compliance jerry-built) down with bullets.Tales of Fuel-air RPGs seem to suggest area targets rather than individual troopers.

  3. Sven

    Anti-robot?

    Anti-tank rocket => better tank armour

    Bigger anti-tank rocket => even better tank armour

    So

    What will it take to kill a robot like that? A standard bullet to the robotic eye? Or another robot? Two other robots? Or perhaps a virus that a terrorist uploaded using his Macbook Pro (keeping up with the times)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Anyone remember the Frogstar robots?

    the classifications sound similar, at least to start with...

  5. Paul Darcy

    POP!

    "The new US initiative seems to suggest a guided missile not much bigger than a tube of Pringles; one that could perhaps be carried by the new generation of man-portable, hand-launched silent mini-planes now going into action."

    once you pop you just cant stop

  6. Alex

    Reg prdections comming true?

    I've gotta say that on some level this story sends a shiver down my spine!

    It used to be that these reg stories about robots taking over were just a bit of a laugh but it would seem that we are rapidly moving towards a fully robotized future...

    It is only a matter of time before scientists make a real breakthrough on portable AI and then we are doomed. After all, half of the human race makes me think 'roll on armageddon' so when the robots get intelligence and take a look at the rest of us what conclusion do you think they are going to draw?

    But before the world ends i'm looking forward to buying my first robot buddy, like the floating one out of 'The Black Hole'. Unfortunately it will probably be called the iSomething and be ludicrously expensive.

  7. Andy

    re: frogstar

    What a depressingly stupid robot.

  8. The Cube

    We need a new UN Resolution barring agressive unstable states from such weapons

    I am as keen as the next geek to see the technology in these developments but I can't help thinking that there would be less risk of them being used to kill innocent civilians if we gave them to North Korea. The US has demonstrated beyond any doubt that it will start a war on any (preferably non-christian) country that fails to hand over all of it's natural resources and behave like a good client state and then call it the 'War on Terror' as if that makes it OK.

    Of course these bots may well backfire on the Americans when the CIA trade them for drugs to some local warlords who sell them on to the boogeymen the US military used to justify the funding in the first place (don't mention UAVs or Iraq). This may well be the defence contractors plan however, as that would require a huge budget to create autonomous anti-droid war droids. Maybe Blackwater can form an Axis of Evil with Lockheed Martin and call themselves SkyNet?

  9. Corrine

    Robogeddon

    The trick to preserving humanity of course, is to make sure that no AI has the ability to program, and that no robot the appendages necessary to repair or maintain other robots. That way they need the geeks to survive.

    The rest of humanity is screwed of course.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    That photo...

    Is that R2D2 in the nack?

  11. Sampler

    @Alex

    iRobot by any chance?

    =p

  12. Dave Bell

    Never mind robot helicopters,

    When can we expect to have a visit from Major Kusanagi and Batou?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    re: re: frogstar

    I say just capture them and stick them in the Total Perspective Vortex.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Total Perspective Vortex...

    ...has never been the same since the cake was eaten.

    Anyway - Colin gets my vote. What a happy chappy he was.

  15. Phillistine

    Commerce of Death

    Is it me or is this a dubious honor ? How can someone flog death machines like this ? And I don't mean to be humanitarian, but if far too many death machines were to be sold like this, the future buyers will either be dead or be prevented from being born since their potential parents killed each-other.

  16. Chalres Wood

    Simple weaponry, MREs All-in-one

    All this high tech fooey is unnecessary.

    "The Ace"

    5+ Cambell's soup cans

    manual can opener

    duct tape

    lighter fluid

    lighter

    tennis ball

    You can shoot a tennis ball over a hundred yards with the above weapon.

    Image the damage at close range.

    PLUS, you can feed yourself in the process.

    Don't forget to save the labels.

  17. the Jim bloke

    @ Robogeddon

    So what you are saying is that they should be defective by design, intentionally saddled with crippleware, and broken OS ?

    If we arent careful, we will be hailing Bill Gates as the saviour of Humanity.

    Deathbot Restricting Malware FTW

  18. Lewis

    Yay

    Yet again the USA prove they are too irresponsible to be left to play with toys on their own.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    war bots

    I spent 20 years in the business of military planning. I always thought that humans made lousy soldiers and worse pilots (lots of generals were glad when I retired). I personally always tried to figure out ways to win the battles without putting humans in the way. not for humanitarian reasons, but because humans are expensive, weak, error prone, not-actually-expendible, and did I mention expensive. I see this stuff as completely inevitable. this is a good thing. our gladiator (champion) against their gladiator (champion), loser turns over keys to the royal palace.

  20. Paul

    The Bot pic near the top

    Looks like the crappy cooler i got with my P4 ages ago with some wires and lego bits stuck on.

    Water cooling obviously a bit too bullet sensitive.

  21. Ben Holmes

    re: bot pic near top

    Looking at all the little numbers on the side, I have to assume that this is some sort of IKEA DIY Deathbot kit - I wonder if they had any bits left over? Always happens to me...

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