A news story by Computerworld announces the realization of what was only a dream in the '60s TV Show, Lost in Space, by reporting that IRobot Corporation debuts a prototype of a remote-controlled robot armed with a Taser electroshock weapon for military or law enforcement.
This release is in line with the increasingly sophisticated use of robotics such as the Predator which has developed tremendously in the conflict in Iraq after the rather bumbling attempts to nab or eliminate Osama Bin-Laden in Afghanistan. Richard Clarke, former White House anti-terror advisor, testified before the 9/11 Commission about the efforts to use the Predator drone effectively.
Visibility by the remote operator is key which proved to be a liability in early deployments of the Predator.
The new device carries a camera mounted on a 12-inch mast. The camera is capable of tilting and rotating to provide greater visibility to its operator during scouting missions.
This new small hybrid machine is based on Burlington, Massachusetts based iRobot's Pentium-based PackBot Explorer robot. The innovation here is to add a Taser X26 stun gun to the robot, that was developed jointly by iRobot and Taser International Inc.
If an IED is going to blow up in Iraq, better one of these babies than a soldier: language warning.
The Predator is effectively deployed in Iraq.
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