• Technology

    Robots That Hunt in Packs

    By John Brandon Posted on 11.7.2008 20 Comments

    The Department of Defense has put out a call: design a pack of robots. A so-called Multi-Robot Pursuit System would be used to "search for and detect a non-cooperative human subject." Each robot has to weigh 100 kilograms or less, act autonomously (with a human squad leader), negotiate obstacles, and provide immediate feedback. The robots would report back to a human operator, and defer to that human when the robot AI determines that a "difficult decision" is required.

    4.3.2009 at 04:36pm - Comment by runnaboy33

    Humans need to make the kill order. No question. We don't need Cylons or Terminators. The computer needs to be given an objective which it can get to on its own with out the need for extra input. The weapon or gun needs to be a totally separated system which happens to be mounted on an platform which can make limited decisions for itself. Skynet is a Looong way out. Don't plan on it coming from the military either. Maybe some dumb ambitious hacker, or someone like that launching something on the internet. (on the off point would PETA call it endangered species? But anyways... back on topic)Make the two systems seperated from each other. Total AI is a bad thing. Giving some freedom to a computer is risky on its own. I think that to a limited point it is a worthwhile risk. One question though, in the event of failure in an Artificially Intelligent platform, Where does the Shit roll?

  • Technology

    The Army’s New Black Hawk

    By Seth Fletcher Posted on 3.24.2009 39 Comments

    The Black Hawk helicopter has served the U.S. Army well. But it’s been around since 1979. Time for a revamp, with advanced electronics, more-powerful engines, and various other tweaks. The UH-60M Upgrade, as it’s officially known, made its first flight last summer, and the Connecticut aircraft-manufacturer Sikorsky will start delivering them to the Army next year and ramp up to full production by 2013.

    4.3.2009 at 04:13pm - Comment by runnaboy33

    First to xenophon, what do you think that our enemies would do to us if they won? Do you think that they would just say that they came here to free us? NO. For the most part right now, our enemies are the extremist Muslims that want to blow us up, or ruthless dictators like Kim Jung Il of N. Korea. I think, however, that the gap between them and our next closest enemies is closing. Who is our next closest enemy? The bleeding heart liberals like boka, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, or any other spineless wimp who says that we need to stop funding our soldiers and equipping them adequately to fight the wars on the Terrorist's front doorstep. If not there, where else would they go? Some poor neutral country? No. They would choose to come to the United States, and deal us multiple blows to our nation that would serve to cause panic, fear, death,and disruption. 9/11 was bad enough. Let me share with you a quote "Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Put all that we can afford to in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East. We need more friendly nations there, than anywhere else. This issue is to me, just as important, if not, more so than the economy. So yeah, great idea, stop making the guns. For your information those guns are protecting your rights. On a side note, thank you for at least saying that you don't have a solution yourself. Leave that to the government that we have. Oh Wait. The younger crowed voted in the "Cool President" I liked Bush better. The last really good president that we had was Ronald Reagan, and the only truly effective Democrats were FDR and Truman. Not much I can do about it though. Seriously though, thanks. TO Boka: REALLY? God you are a dumbass. Move somewhere where that kind of bullshit is appreciated. Bringing Hitler and the Nazis into any arguement other than one focused on WWII or the Holocaust shows that A: You should have used that free public K-12 education that you received (assuming you were born / raised in the US) and B: That your argument is completely void and useless.



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December 2009: Best of What's New

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