Which SciFi story does this remind you of?

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  • Reply 21 of 27
    It's the T1-X prototype Terminator. The controls for it are currently in the office of the California Governor.
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  • Reply 22 of 27
    hirohiro Posts: 2,663member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by THT

    It's a remote controlled vehicle which means the operators can indiscriminately kill with it without much remorse as long as their superiors say kill. It'll probably fail miserably, but with incremental improvements, it can eventually be very effective.



    I can assure you it is neither legally, morally or actually the case that a remote device would allow indiscriminate action. There are plenty of precedents in that vein. It will allow the controllers to be more aggressive without the aspect of personal danger, but not indiscriminate. Whether that is actually a good thing or not is yet to be seen.
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  • Reply 23 of 27
    thttht Posts: 5,800member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Hiro

    It will allow the controllers to be more aggressive without the aspect of personal danger, but not indiscriminate.



    In a war, sure, but in an occupation where these test vehicles are going? Wrong tool.



    I think the nature of the vehicle is that, eventually, anything that comes near it must be seen as a threat. It's sensors can be easily countermeasured in low-tech ways, and therefore, the operators must consider anyone coming near it, including children, a threat to it. That's indiscriminate to me.
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  • Reply 24 of 27
    newnew Posts: 3,244member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by THT

    In a war, sure, but in an occupation where these test vehicles are going? Wrong tool.



    I think the nature of the vehicle is that, eventually, anything that comes near it must be seen as a threat. It's sensors can be easily countermeasured in low-tech ways, and therefore, the operators must consider anyone coming near it, including children, a threat to it. That's indiscriminate to me.




    I Agree.



    My first instinct would be to spray-paint the occupy-o-bot pink.



    Would I get shot for that? probably. By a multiple-shot-a-second chain-gun...
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  • Reply 25 of 27
    iposteriposter Posts: 1,560member
    These units are a supplement to infantry units, not a tool that will be going out on their own. If you read the whole story, the battery endurance is only 1-4 hours. To me, that means they would be brought in to combat in specific hotspots, storm occupied buildings, etc. They would not be patrolling the streets, and like any mechanized vehicle, would be in the company of human soldiers. So the possibility of an Iraqi child be killed 'tagging' the bot is unlikely. IMHO, the level of accuracy provided is much more humane than a scared 18 year old spraying rounds at a distant target. (according to the article, it scored 70 for 70 bull's-eyes on the range, with a rocket launcher!)



    Quote:

    Its developers say the SWORDS not only allows its operators to fire at enemies without exposing themselves to return fire, but also can make them more accurate.



    A typical soldier who could hit a target the size of a basketball from 300 meters away could hit a target the size of a nickel with the SWORDS, according Quinn.



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  • Reply 26 of 27
    newnew Posts: 3,244member
    we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure some millitary "visionaries" would want to test out all posibilities...
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