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#1 2005-10-08 06:40:37

Palomar
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2002-05-30
Posts: 9,734

Re: Gromit & K-9

*Yes, I know an article pertaining to this has already been posted in "The Need for a Moon Direct 3" thread (found that via Search); however, it's a stand-out which deserves its own thread, IMO. 

Say hello

They'll be able to do in 15 minutes what it takes current robots 3 days to do.  Data will be transmitted to Earth almost instantaneously.  Gromit has voice recognition capabilities -- can "talk" with astronauts. 

Can take samples, gather info, record images.  Robots like these will some day built habs for human living. 

Amazing.

--Cindy


We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

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#2 2005-10-10 10:34:49

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,913

Re: Gromit & K-9

Robotics are important to furthering mans presence beyound LEO. With the latest Darpa challenge producing vehicles that can navigate the terrian of its environment without human intervention.

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#3 2005-10-13 10:27:01

publiusr
Banned
From: Alabama
Registered: 2005-02-24
Posts: 682

Re: Gromit & K-9

Providing you were to clean out a nice flat road for those Cray-filled VWss. I don't think so. A redneck with a Ford Pick-up could still do a better job of driving than that thing if it got in a rut.

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#4 2005-10-13 14:58:06

Grypd
Member
From: Scotland, Europe
Registered: 2004-06-07
Posts: 1,879

Re: Gromit & K-9

Providing you were to clean out a nice flat road for those Cray-filled VWss. I don't think so. A redneck with a Ford Pick-up could still do a better job of driving than that thing if it got in a rut.

Obviously you dont know what terrain the Darpa grand challenge had the vehicles go over. And ruts where the least of the problems these vehicles had to suffer. The principle of the whole grand challenge was to have vehicles which can guide themselves over the roughest terrain.

Why go to all this bother. The reason is simple economy, military economy. Napoleon Bonaparte stated that an Army marches on its stomach. Modern armies and fighting forces rely on a lot of logistics and rear echelon resources. Food medication, tents ammunition all have to be taken to where the soldiers are and that also has a tendency to be where the enemy is too. For every 1 soldier at the front there is 10 behind him especially in high tech modern armies.

In Iraq a lot of the casualties being dealt to the soldiers are too the people driving the lorries and trucks to where the supplies are needed. If these vehicles can be automated then not only can improved armour be installed but they become more politically expendable and also cheap as you dont have to pay a robot wages.

We already have used in the air and ground robot attack planes and tanks the future is that these will be used more and more so that the dynamic will be that rear echelon will be able to support the front and still fight using telerobotics either by air strike or by the generations of robot soldiers now planned.

And in Iraq there already is used robot soldiers on the ground to kill people. The things are so accurate that they take the dangerous position of point and in future wars you will see more and more such machines deployed.


Chan eil mi aig a bheil ùidh ann an gleidheadh an status quo; Tha mi airson cur às e.

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