Korea unveils new military bots

Don't let those cutesy looks fool you, these new XAV robotic military vehicles from Korea pack a bit of a punch. The surveillance XAV (which we're guessing is the one to the left) weighs in at 1.2-tons, and is designed for patrol and information gathering. It's battery powered -- for extra sneakiness -- and has a top speed of about 19MPH. The combat XAV is a a bit speedier, at 28MHP, but weighs only 0.9-tons and is powered by a gasoline engine. Combat XAV also has the riskier role of frontline combat, but luckily both it and its surveillance brother are outfitted with 5.56-millimeter machine guns for a bit of self defense. Both units are still in testing, and will go back to the shop for more upgrades between 2013 and 2020 before they actual are deployed. The Korean military also has some eight-legged dog-like robots in the works to replace human soldiers in some guard duties by 2012. We can't say we feel incredibly confident placing a machine gun in the "hands" of a dumb machine, but luckily the $36 million project has a ways to go before any robots get to fighting.

[Tull @ Jun 9th 2006 8:53PM]

June 9th 2020: Skynet becomes self-aware.

[RyanXP @ Jun 9th 2006 8:57PM]

All of a sudden I had this urge to play Gunbound...

[Genexk @ Jun 9th 2006 9:04PM]

Terminator inside?

[Pete Avila @ Jun 9th 2006 9:42PM]

I would like to drive one of those to work.

[Midnightblade @ Jun 9th 2006 9:57PM]

8 legged dog-like robot? Isn't that like the hound from ferenheit 451?

[Letts @ Jun 9th 2006 10:48PM]

I believe the author could help us by telling us which Korea is developing this armor.

[T @ Jun 9th 2006 11:39PM]

Line 10
"before they actual are deployed."
Should read:
"before they are actually deployed."

[silentio @ Jun 9th 2006 11:42PM]

They copied Advance Wars!

[kerunt @ Jun 10th 2006 12:30AM]

I sure hope a programmer for these things didn't forget a semicolon somewhere.

Skynet indeed.

[Gihad Joe @ Jun 10th 2006 2:36AM]

The one looks like it is based on an ARGO eight wheel drive atv

http://www.argoatv.com/products/product.asp?MID=15

[Jacques Lema @ Jun 10th 2006 3:31AM]

@ Letts
Which Korea? Huh.. I'd go for the one that has been building tech devices for decades as opposed to the one that is huh.. starving and pretending to build nuclear devices?

I can only look forward to hear Rumsfeld's hidden son in 2020 explain that the new Iranian prison torture scandal is the result of despicable programming error...

[0bliv!on @ Jun 10th 2006 4:38AM]

lol to above.


and i for one welcome our robotic gun-toting overlords

[Craig @ Jun 10th 2006 5:26AM]

Aren't these just asking to be hacked into? The eight legged thing will probably resemble something from Star Wars.

[Keeper @ Jun 10th 2006 5:44AM]

Hmmm. Just for your reference, the TV stations here broadcasted a news saying that the ADD (the ROK army R&D center down in Daejon, a city in the middle of S.Korea where the Army HQ is at) was to hold a press conference with these bots showing their stuff when the rain 'forced' the show to be called off, leaving more than a dozen parties of the media grumbling inside the building and staring at the mute machines. The R&D staff did provide a simulation machine that enables you to experience what these bots would go through, however more than one-smart press dude was said to be thinking, where these battle bots would require trench coats or even an umbrella toting aide along them when the battle field turns rainy.

Yes, terminator, your time has not come yet. Thank God these machines were not operable at 2006.6.6!!!!

[GhostDoggy @ Jun 10th 2006 9:28AM]

I'd like to RPG-test one of those units. I doubt they'd survive very long with a $5 blackmarket RPG. Pow! Right in the kisser.

[Paladin_six @ Jun 10th 2006 12:03PM]

The tan one (the one on the right) is the Recon variant. The white thingy is a mast for the sensors.

[PFC. Jacobs @ Jun 10th 2006 12:56PM]

What is the range of the sensors? and the armor class? What I want to know is how to destroy them. If you know these qualities, then you know how far you can take them through battle, and if placed in the wrong hands you can destroy them without causing much damage to your troops. Not to meantion the cost for maintaining and upgrading the machines. Not to meantion itll need man support to protect it and keep it in control or for emergency tune ups.

[Jimmay @ Jun 10th 2006 4:05PM]

"The combat XAV is a a bit speedier, at 28MHP"

28 'Miles Per Hour', you mean

Not 'Miles Hour Per'

[ramon @ Jun 11th 2006 8:38AM]

south korea or north korea?

[jefch @ Jun 12th 2006 8:16AM]

The Korean created the XAV, they evolved, they rebelled, there are many copies, and they have plan, hahahahaha

[Magallanes @ Jun 12th 2006 8:43PM]

Is a cute way to spend the money from the tax.

A $20 wooden trap or a simple hole can put in trouble this too-expensive toy... then dissarmind and have free bullets from the enemy.

[Aaron @ Aug 29th 2006 8:42PM]

You KNOW they're only building automated war machines so they can stay home and play Starcraft instead of fight.