Gamers in the Army

[Zdroyd]

FROM: http://technabob.com/blog/2007/06/05...60-controller/

Most video game enthusiasts will tell you that the Xbox 360’s joystick is one of the best designed gaming controllers of all time. Now it appears to have gotten the “thumbs up” from the U.S. Army.

From the looks of these photos taken in article over at ZDNet, at least some of the Army’s remote SUGVs (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles) are controlled by what sure looks like an Xbox 360 controller to me.

The unmanned ground vehicles are part of the Army’s Future Combat Systems initiative, providing individual troops with improved accessibility to dangerous locations.
The fact that the Army would at least prototype these systems using the 360’s controller makes perfect sense to me, given the familiarity of the design to its likely users.

That is just awsome: What do you guys think?

Now all they need to do is use the WII controler and our Army might actualy get a work out!

[Spartan Erik]

Haha I wouldn't trust a lethal robot controlled by a Wii controller.. what if a mosquito lands on your arm and you swat at it, and inadvertently launch a missile in whatever direction the robot is pointing?

That is, assuming they make lethal robots once they get bored of bomb defusal/spy ones

[Smith6612]

Haha I wouldn't trust a lethal robot controlled by a Wii controller.. what if a mosquito lands on your arm and you swat at it, and inadvertently launch a missile in whatever direction the robot is pointing?

That is, assuming they make lethal robots once they get bored of bomb defusal/spy ones

LOL good point. Don't Sentry guns already do those kind of things though?

[Sharky]

The 360 controller is a bog-standard USB controller too.

And anyway, my old Thrustmaster had a better joystick IMO. The Thrustmaster one didn't seem to have any sort of dead-zone whatsoever. 360's isn't bad.... not perfect though.

[kkenny]

That is just awsome: What do you guys think?

Now all they need to do is use the WII controler and our Army might actualy get a work out!

Using the wii controller? That's a little scary if the person doesn't have a steady hand o-o (or if they twitch a lot)

[Zdroyd]

Yes a WII controller would cause unwanted death in War... Wait... We already have that!

The original NES controller would be funny though...

[azntechguy]

Yes a WII controller would cause unwanted death in War... Wait... We already have that!

The original NES controller would be funny though...

Yeah, I can just imagine... newb soldiers using the NES controller complete with "Robot Handler under Instruction" sticker on the robot itself LOL

[kkenny]

Control Pad to move, B to self destruct, A to fire rockets o-o

[Zdroyd]

Control Pad to move, B to self destruct, A to fire rockets o-o

LOL Or (knowing the Army) B would be to teamkill...

(Or not?)

[Smith6612]

LOL Or (knowing the Army) B would be to teamkill...

(Or not?)

Mmm.... I love eating TK! It's always a fun thing to do in video games, of course, never a fun thing to do in real life.