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01/24/2005: "Robot soldiers head for Iraq"

The military geek in me can't help but say "coooooool!" The US military are deploying 18 "robots" in Iraq. The robots are basically the same as the type of tracked robot used for bomb disposal but armed with machine guns! The robot, equipped with four cameras, night-vision and zoom lenses, is currently guided by a computer and joystick but they have plans to ue a gameboy type controller with a VR hemlet. Cool!

Foster-Miller (an engineering and technology development firm) are the developers of a range of these "Talon" robots. Their website has some deadly examples.
A quote from Defence Review...
"...the Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS can be equipped with an FN M249 Series LMG/SAW (including the MK46 MOD 0 version) and 320 rounds of 5.56x45mm ammunition, or an FN M240 Series GPMG (including the M240B and M240G) and 200 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammo. It can also be outfitted with a Barrett M82A1 or M107 .50 Cal (.50 BMG) anti-materiel rifle (or, we presume, a Barrett XM109 25mm Payload Rifle), six 40mm grenades, or an M202A1 Flame Assault Shoulder Weapon (FLASH) multi-shot rocket launcher (which carries four 66mm rockets)."