US Air Force deploys robot security dogs to guard base Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida is now guarded by robotic canines that will patrol the area before popping back to their kennels for a recharge. Over the past year the 325th Security Forces Squadron have been trialing the security robots via a so-called "3D Virtual Ops Center," where the hardware hounds patrol the grounds …
Yeah, right. They are really going to admit that each dog has a shotgun built into a leg, can fire tracking pellets, climb trees and remotely control vans.
> Today's sentence should stand as a warning to others who might be tempted similarly to put the nation's security at risk.
And back home in China, his extended family have received promotions at work, his parents have a nice new retirement flat and friends have all had their "social score" enhanced. And when he gets deported in just 3 years, he'll have a nice flat and a generous state pension. Clearly a major deterrent.
And as for his colleagues in the US, no doubt they're now subject to some ridiculously onerous "hand in your laptop during high days and holidays" procedure as the stable door is wedged shut with a bit of chewing gum, ready for the next time.
"gets sent to hunt down Guy Montag"
...and that it gets sicced onto some poor unfortunate once they realise that their 'livestream' will show it's failure to actually kill the target it was supposed to, deny the public their entertainment and make the authorities look like chumps.
It looks like a Boston Dynamics 'Spot', cammo-ed up a bit.
Not a bad use case for the thing really... remote controlled mobile patroling / intrusion detection is a step forward....although I think it's only a matter of time before someone decides to put some sort of offensive (AKA 'Self-defensive') capability on board.
Could even be better than a human MK1 eyeball for some things in the role thanks to the sensor options available.
Also : "It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with...it doesn't feel pity of remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop." :-)
>although I think it's only a matter of time before someone decides to put some sort of offensive (AKA 'Self-defensive') capability on board.
I'm not really sure what you could realistically mount on it, though. Ballistic weapons are a bad idea, as the recoil and vibration from firing would probably damage the robot and be highly inaccurate after the first shot (to say nothing of the problems of ammo storage and hardpoint location). Taser/electrical would likely require lots of shielding to protect the electronic parts, which is more cost than it's worth. At most, these could maybe have some kind of pepper spray or smoke canister dispenser.
And even then, considering they're being used on a military base they don't really need to do much more than pinpoint the location of a troublemaker, as there are surely enough properly armed and armored humans about to do the job properly.
"Ballistic weapons are a bad idea, as the recoil and vibration from firing would probably damage the robot"
At the distances involved, I rather suspect .22 lr rounds would be more than enough for soft targets. Use a modified Ruger 10/22 action that is capable of select fire, nostril mounted 6/7 inch barrel, a 50ish round drum magazine, crosshairs in the VR headset, and Bob's yer auntie.
@jake - Even better yet, the American 180 22lr machine-gun with 275 round drum - at 1100 rpm the robot would have to be light on the trigger to save ammo, but the ammo would last longer with that big drum. E&L Manufacturing makes them if one wants to take a look just for curiosity sake.
Ever fire one? I have. Far too much vibration for this kind of job. Probably too much recoil, too (a single .22 lr cartridge doesn't have much kick by itself, but try firing ~200 of them in under a tenth of a second). For the intended use of this critter, select fire ("safe", single shot, 2 or 3 rounds, or full-auto) makes more sense.
Any more than 50 rounds adds weight and is most likely superfluous. Remember, it'll never be used against anything resembling armor.
That's not a drum, it's a pan.
The recent TV adaptation of War of The Worlds used these cyborg quadrupeds as the alien threat. [I know that aren't cyborgs in reality -yet!]
People are pretty much conditioned to ignore whirly-blade type drones now. But you see something even vaguely shaped like a four-legged animal coming your way, it's going to make you stop and pay attention, or possibly freak you out and get you to leave very quickly. Both of which I would imagine is the desired effect in this case.
> why robots in the shape of dogs?
Marketing talk! If you look at them, they doesn't really look like dogs, they look just as much like an antelope, or any other long-legged quadruped. Or a sofa table.
But of course "security antelope" doesn't have the same ring to it as "security dog", so "dog" it is.
As for why legs, well, it's the most efficient means of locomotion on uneven ground. (Flying is disqualified because it wastes a lot of energy even when staying motionless.)
We had a cat that used to sit on our garden wall. The neighbourhood dogs would cross over to the other side of the road when they went past. A Labrador that was walked on a lead would stop at the verge and look up to it’s owner until he gave it the go ahead to cross. Admittedly the cat was very large, very black and very vicious - Your moggie might catch a mouse or sparrow - He would bring home (dead) rabbits and pheasants.
A very long time ago, I worked at a large site that had armed dog handlers. The legend was that when the union asked why these officers were issued with the old Webley .455 pistol, they were told that "It might be necessary to shoot the dog, when it was off the leash". Staff did not attempt to stroke the dogs...
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I had a mad whippet and lived by woods. It would seek out the biggest stick in the woods and retrieve twenty foot branches balanced in it's jaws. Not once but many times, I saw her fell people when her log hit the back of their knees. She did it to me too, twice.
She would never willingly give up her branch. I'd pick it up and swing it around and she kept biting on it and swing around.
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