Army Robot Prototype Uses Video Game Based Control

The U.S. Army’s Future Combat System includes a robot that uses video game based controls. According to Wired, iRobot’s small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV) is controlled using a monocle and a controller based on a Nintendo video game. Pentagon reporter Bettina Chavanne wrote about taking one of these SUGVs out for a test drive in the latest Aviation Week’s ARES blog entry.

The glasses… are all the equipment a soldier needs to operate the robot. The monocle sits over his right eye, and the controller is based on a Nintendo video game. I haven’t played Donkey Kong since high school, but I was able to work the controls very easily.

The buttons allow numerous configurations and steering options, along with one of the most important elements of all – a reset button. If you get into trouble – and that could mean needing to back the robot out of a small space or just back it out of a corner – one little button will return the SUGV to its regular configuration.

I drove the SUGV toward a truck with an improvised explosive device (or at least a prop that looks like one) parked under one of the wheels. After zipping toward the truck, I deployed the camera into a position where it lowered its viewfinder close to the ground to get a better view. Then I used the magnification tool to look closely at the IED before backing away and bringing the robot back toward where we were standing.

According to Aviation Week, the Army is so encouraged by progress with the SUGV, that it considering accelerating fielding the robot and other similar unmanned combat systems for the Future Combat System.

The ARES blog entry mentions Donkey Kong, but it’s not confirmed whether the controls for SUGV are based on that particular game. Still, I love to see video game technology applied to fields besides entertainment. Of course the medical field and the military seem to be getting the most out of video games; but other fields like education are using it as well. It just goes to prove that unlike the rhetoric my kids’ principal preaches; there are some good video games.

via Wired