The following is a Robotic FX, Inc. press release: Robotic FX Negotiator Tactical Surveillance Robot Gets Endorsed by Corrections Special Operations Community Worth, IL – Robotic FX, Inc. has unveiled its Negotiator Tactical Surveillance Robot – the first low-cost robotic system [unmanned ground vehicle (UGV)] designed to help first-responders make informed decisions from a safe distance. Robotic FX, Inc. has …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Samsung has partnered with Korea University to develop a stationary machine gun-armed sentry robot for border security missions. The robot utilizes an ambient light camera and thermal/IR (infrared) camera (both with zoom feature), as well as sophisticated pattern-recognition software for target identification, tracking, and engagement. DefenseReview doesn’t yet know what type of machine gun the robot …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com A company called More Industries, LLC is manufacturing and marketing a remotely-operated weapons system (i.e. remote-controlled weapons system) called HAMMER for use on UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles, a.k.a. ground robots), manned ground vehicles (i.e. HMMWVs/Humvees, APCs/IFVs, and civilan vehicles like flatbed trucks and SUVs/4x4s), and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), turning the latter into UCAVs (Unmanned Combat …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com DefenseReview has just received exclusive video footage (links below) of an MPS Auto Assault-12 Full-Auto Shotgun (a.k.a. MPS AA-12 Full-Auto Shotgun) successfully firing (and cycling) British FRAG-12 munition (12-gauge grenade) on full-auto at 300 rpm (rounds per minute). The test (AA-12) shotgun sucessfully fired (and cycled) a total of 60 fin-stabilised FRAG-12 grenades/munitions over the course of the full-auto …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Some folks at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), a.k.a. NAVAIR Weapons Division (China Lake, CA), are currently developing a "man-packable, shoulder-launched guided missile" system for U.S. infantry warfighters called SPIKE. The developmental system is essentially a low-cost, compact, and lightweight man-portable shoulder-fired fire-and-forget missile system that incorporates three separate guidance modes–inertial, laser, and imaging …

by David Crane david at defensereview.com DefenseReview.com has received video footage of a weaponized version of the AutoCopter self-stabilized unmanned mini-helicopter being tested for the first time in sunny Huntsville, Alabama (The download link for this video is further down in this article.). The AutoCopter is made by Neural Robotics Incorporated (NRI), and the armament/weapons portion of the package is …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com When I look at the Ultra Armored Patrol Vehicle (a.k.a. Ultra AP concept vehicle), I just can’t help thinking about the "Tumbler" Batmobile from the latest Batman movie, Batman Begins. And, ya’ know, that’s probably not a bad thing. In the film, the "Tumbler" was one badass vehicle–and cool. So, the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com On March 17th, 2005, it was announced that iRobot (headquartered in Burlington, MA) has won an $18.4 million Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) contract to provide 150 of its PackBot EOD Hazardous Duty Mobile Robots to the U.S. Navy by the end of 2005 for the purpose of explosive ordanced disposal operations. These robots, already battle-proven/combat-proven …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com An Israeli company called Tadiran Spectralink Ltd. (Holon, Israel), a member of the Elisra Group, has just advanced the military combat application of telepresence a step further with their wrist-mounted Video Receiver And Monitor for Battlefield Operations, or V-RAMBO, for short. Tadiran Spectralink refers to the technology that V-Rambo utilizes as "Wrist-Displayed Vital UAV-Derived Intelligence". Basically, …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Urban warfare operations may become just a little less dangerous for our Marines in the near future. Why? Because a bunch of researchers at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pensylvania have teamed up with the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) in Quantico Virginia to create a small, lightweight little Mighty Mouse of …