Paging John Connor. Military robotics are often offensively utilised and the latest versions of a ground-based military drone are no different. Four companies have reportedly tested machine-gun mounted mobile drones at an event for the US Army at Fort Benning last week.
Other uses of robots in military scenarios were also explored, according to the initial report from Computer World, including clearing minefields and obstacles and hauling loads through rough terrain.
But it’s the live-fire test of robots with machine guns that is the most visually impressive of the lot. The Terminator extra above is called the Protector (specs, PDF), from HDT Robotics, which is being test-fired on a range using its mounted M240 machine gun. The Protector can also be outfitted for other tasks but it is (wirelessly) remote-controlled. If it’s ever remote-controlled by Skynet, we might have a bit of a problem.
Source: PopSci