Robots Gear Up For Duty In 'Rodeo' At Fort Hood

The Howe & Howe "Ripsaw" MS1 is ready for its demo, followed by a manned Ripsaw MS2 and an Armored Personnel Carrier carrying two operators, one to drive the Ripsaw and a soldier manning its weapons, plus a driver. A DIscovery Channel crew is also taping the demo run. The first-ever "Robotics Rodeo," which encourages development of autonomous systems in support of our nation's warfighters, is drawing the world's leading robotic designers and builders to the Texas-based event. Fort Hood's III Corps and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) are hosting the Robotics Rodeo Sept. 1-3 on the grounds of the world's largest U.S. military base, Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Paul Moseley)

From The Star Telegram:

FORT HOOD — Under a searing sun, breathing clouds of dirt and gulping metallic-tasting water, some of the nation’s best defense geeks tried to impress the infantrymen and tankers of the U.S. Army.

They converged on a remote part of Fort Hood last week with robots that responded to voices, giant trucks that didn’t need a driver, three-dimensional light and range detectors, unmanned track vehicles with machine guns, all of it for an event billed as Texas’ — certainly the Army’s — first Robotics Rodeo.

The "rodeo" was the brainchild of the Fort Hood commander, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, a 30-year war fighter and an engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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My Comment: This is a very informative article, but what impressed me the most were/are the pictures .... a large collection that gives a clear indication on where UAV vehicles are going for the Army.