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View Full Version : Brief survey on using robots in a COIN environment



MountainRunner
08-07-2007, 02:39 PM
In line with a project I'm working on right now and following up on the FCS discussion elsewhere on the board (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=3598), I've put together a short survey on armed robots in a COIN environment. By no means is it comprehensive, but it should be useful. Hopefully Marc won't find too many problems with it :rolleyes:. It should take no more than 2-3 minutes of your time, maybe 5 if you're on the phone.

Survey: Using Robots in War (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=T5YEgaVk9CAJ_2fkT70xUrug_3d_3d)

Thanks in advance for filling it out. The results will be included in my presentation next week at the Proteus workshop at Carlisle Barracks (Panel III (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/proteus/workshop/panels.cfm)). It would be great to meet people on the board in person. If you're at the workshop or on base, drop me an email.

Stan
08-07-2007, 02:48 PM
Just sent my response having used armed robots for 12 years.

Basically, criminals don't care. The human voice and CCTV with the robot makes it human. The fact there's a 12 ga. attached means little. Some have fired at ours with AK rounds, til magazines were empty, other just blew the whole thing off as a cheap threat.

In order to be "spooked" out of your shorts, you'd have to be a tad crazy, and most of our Russian criminals are rather smart.

Dunno, maybe it'll work in Iraq, but not here.

Cavguy
08-07-2007, 03:00 PM
While I'm not sure about my feelings regarding armed robots, I was a convert on my last tour to their utility.

We had two MARCBOT's, basically remote controlled cars with a camera linked to a laptop. My guys used them while on patrol to investigate IED's. Nothing's worse than a local pointing to a pile of trash and saying "there's an IED there", calling EOD, waiting 2 hours, only to find a pile of trash. The MARCBOT allowed non-EOD soldiers to investigate suspicious items without endangering themselves. We lost one of our MARCBOT's, "Johnny 5" gave his existence up probing a daisy chain IED in Tal Afar ..... And probably saved my guys. So I'm a believer.

Every patrol should have a MARCBOT or similar available.