Cool Raw: Army’s New ‘Crusher’ Robot Tests the Tough Terrain

The "Crusher" is a 6.5 ton combination of computers, cameras and laser radar that reads the terrain.

February 21, 2008 at 8:03 am - AP
Dateline:
General Interest   February 21st, 2008 - 12:25 pm

Human is right! This diabolical machine is really Dick Cheney’s 2nd car and was designed to seek out urban based liberal bloggers. IT CAN CLIMB STAIRS and it has a claw that unplugs cables. The only good thing about it is it has a built in toaster oven. Scary stuff isn’t it.

LETHSS   February 21st, 2008 - 4:34 pm

LMAO

what a waste of time and money

Human   February 21st, 2008 - 6:29 pm

Each freaking time the thing got stuck the video switches scenes. It’s most likely designed for the Cops to use on the streets against the Civilian population anyway.
Peace.

John D Infidel   February 21st, 2008 - 7:32 pm

Sucks to be the idiot who finds himself at the wrong end of an armed robot!

Molon Labe   February 21st, 2008 - 8:23 pm

a) this is an old video

b) the robotic vehicle is an experimental prototype autonomously moving, i.e. it’s figuring out what it ’sees’ and how to reach an end goal through terrain with no human guidance

c) if you think this is easy to create, go do a PhD in robotics and artificial intelligence and let’s see what you manage to come up with. It’s a little more challenging than commenting from your parents’ basement.

A version of the Crusher won DARPA’s last Grand Challenge for autonomous systems.

heystu   February 27th, 2008 - 10:03 am

Weaponization of independent robots; in pragmatic terms would save American lives and allow the US to use one of it’s strategic advantages; it’s economic and material might to win battles.

However, is that the path we want to take? Once we truly start deploying independent killing robots, it will only be a matter of time before the world sees a whole host of new firsts; – The first robotic accidental weapons discharge. – The first robotic killing. – The first mixed human and robot military action along some sensitive border. – The first human/robot or all robot war with civilian casualties. – The first robot committed war crimes.

I’m not saying the robots are bad or that independent robots are bad, just that we should seriously consider the ramifications of artificial intelligence with a gun. Maybe we should consider some global ban, or moratorium, on weaponized independent robots.

One thing is for sure, if we have them, we’ll use them. And if we build them, our friends and enemies will build them too.

Morons   February 27th, 2008 - 11:29 am

This is a stupid waste of money! clearly its driven by an asian. Cant you see the way it was swerving everywhere.

CRITERIA119   February 27th, 2008 - 11:57 am

“A stupid waste of you money.” People making those comments, you are fools.

David   February 27th, 2008 - 12:50 pm

I think this is cool. We spend so much time turning perfectly good human beings into robots to kill people, this is just the logical conclusion of the concept. At least a robot won’t get pissed off and kill a bunch of civilians huddled in a house and bury them in a trench. I’m all for it.

Jeff   February 27th, 2008 - 5:08 pm

I’m waiting for them to set up SkyNet so it can decide the fate of humanity in a nanosecond.

MAJ J.R. Hill   February 27th, 2008 - 5:14 pm

Don’t be too quick too dismiss this type of research and development; there are many good things that could come out of this research. For example, ground based robotic vehicles could be used for civilian search and rescue operations, logistics re-supply operations (especially those that are restrained due to inclement weather), mass transit (busses, trains, and taxi cabs), and border patrol and other law enforcement operations. Also imagine ground based robotic vehicles being used to explore previously unexplored areas such as Antarctica, mountain tops, or deserts. This technology could reveal new geological, archeological, paleontological, and zoological discoveries that could change science and history.

In the military, this type of research could be used toward designing vehicles that could safety and effectively gather intelligence on those that would harm Americans; it could be used for logistics re-supply on the battlefield and therefore lessen casualties in convoy operations; it could be used to medically evacuate injured civilians or soldiers on or near the battlefield; and it could be used for civil and combat engineering projects. Really, the follow on uses of this technology are limited to what the mind can consider.

In addition to uses on the ground, this type of technology could also be used for naval operations. The technology currently does not exist to adequately explore some of the deepest spots in the oceans of the world. Because future robotic nautical vehicles would be unmanned, designs would not be limited to sustaining life at tremendous depths. Again, this technology could reveal new geological, archeological, paleontological, and zoological discoveries that could change science and history. In addition, the naval military uses are immense. This technology would change the designs all naval vessels. Imagine unmanned submarines, aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers, and cruisers. They could be designed to move faster, travel further and more efficiently, submerge, and all assigned support vessels/aircraft could be robotic as well.

The air force is aggressively researching the potential uses of robotic technology. Because this is the future in warfare and in they are paving a way for others to follow. People need to warmly embrace this because this is the way the future is going.

MAJ JR Hill
USAR

Terminus Est   February 27th, 2008 - 7:58 pm

Pretty good at getting stuck. I saw, what, two or three episodes of that piece of crap getting stuck in that clip?

BobK   February 27th, 2008 - 10:10 pm

While it had some trouble in the woods it looks like it is ready to handle rough roads. Lets deploy a few hundred along the border. Armed. The politicians who have sold out the country won’t finish the wall. With these the criminal illegal aliens will cease to be a threat.

El Griton   February 27th, 2008 - 11:33 pm

Remember the Russian martian space probe that accidently landed in the USA in the TV’s “Six Million Dollar Man” it looked like a titanium colored low profile tank that was indestructible. It looked and moved like a mini-Abrams 1/3 scale battle tank without the main gun. Now that’s what I am waiting for

Smelly   February 28th, 2008 - 10:35 am

SKYNET HAS BECOME SELF-AWA…..oh it’s just Cheney.

[...] US army Robot (that they’re showing us): Breitbart.tv » Cool Raw: Army’s New ‘Crusher’ Robot Tests the Tough Terrain __________________ It’s only the [...]

[...] US army Robot (that they’re showing us) reminiscent of the Saracen I thought: Breitbart.tv » Cool Raw: Army’s New ‘Crusher’ Robot Tests the Tough Terrain __________________ It’s only the [...]

Pasquale   March 11th, 2008 - 11:47 am

Send it into Berkeley to clean the streets of the socialist garbage

Tom   March 16th, 2008 - 12:47 am

articulaition fails me

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