Robot helps stop standoff with suicidal soldier

[Generic Other]

Robot helps stop standoff

KAREN HUCKS AND ROB CARSON; The News Tribune
Published: August 27th, 2005 12:01 AM

The Pierce County SWAT team used a robot with a video camera Friday to end a 10-hour standoff with a suicidal soldier.
The daylong ordeal began when the Fort Lewis man did not report to work early Friday, said Lakewood police spokesman Lt. Bret Farrar.

<snip>

Authorities talked on the phone with the man, and at 9:50 a.m., he agreed to let his wife and son leave. After several hours of trying to get the man to give up his gun and come out, police sent in a bomb robot borrowed from the Port of Seattle Police.

When video transmitted from the robot’s camera showed the man did not have a gun in his hand, police stormed into the apartment and grabbed him, Farrar said. The soldier was taken by ambulance to Madigan Army Medical Center for an evaluation, Farrar said.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5134069p-4671863c.html

[wli]

1. soon enough the robots will have guns on them

They're more likely to look like assault vehicles than to be miniaturized, though.

[sakabatou]

2. That's what the army plans

Mini attack droids...

[wli]

3. mini attack droids aren't doable, but automated assault vehicles would be

Basically the strength of motors and general shielding capabilities are too low for miniature attack droids, but AI-operated tanks, helicopters, etc. have enough to actually hold their own with sufficiently advanced AI. It's unclear whether it's possible to get realtime image recognition to the point where it is truly meaningful, though.

I suspect targeting assistance, navigational assistance, and similar to be more prominent than fully autonomous assault vehicles.

[sakabatou]

4. I know

[Generic Other]

5. Also disturbing that this is another Iraq vet going "postal"

Fort Lewis has had several Striker Brigade soldiers kill their spouses in recent months after returning from Iraq.

[sakabatou]

6. War does more damage than a lot of people can think of