Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!srhqla!quad1!ttidca!hollombe
From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: Battlefield Robotics (?)
Message-ID: <19497@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 29 Aug 90 19:43:11 GMT
References: <59189@bbn.BBN.COM>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 24

In article <59189@bbn.BBN.COM> bpalmer@BBN.COM (Brian Palmer) writes:

}The threat of chemical weapons in the Middle East has made me wonder about the
}reality and future of battlefield robots.  

}Can anyone share what we have now? (unclassified ... so I guess what we ADMIT
}we have.) Army, navy, airforce drones etc.

The NSRA (National Service Robot Association) seems to have the most
information on this sort of stuff.  Most of them are remote manipulators
of one form or another.  Many are highly specialized for a particular job.
I've seen nuclear decontamination robots and fire fighters as well as
general purpose waldos.  Eye-in-the-sky flying drones have been used by
the military for years.  In principle, there's no reason any of these
couldn't become weapons platforms.  The main problem I can think of is
jamming of control signals under battlefield conditions.

Maybe it's time for Janes to publish "All the World's Robots."

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@ttidca.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp(+)TTI             Illegitimis non
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 450-9111, x2483       Carborundum
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {csun | philabs | psivax}!ttidca!hollombe