Video: War Robot Destroyed by IED

An iRobot Packbot EOD investigates a roadside IED in Iraq, only to catch a faceful of explode. Better bots than boys, for sure. [via Danger Room]

[#1 posted by Ceronomus , September 20, 2007 12:27 PM]

It doesn't really matter what you think of the war, for or against. I think we can all agree that the robot was worth the money versus the arms and/or legs that the IED may have cost some poor soldier.

[#2 posted by Anonymous , September 20, 2007 12:34 PM]

This is cool but I still find the iRobot demos where they have guns on board (with soldiers safe at the base controlling them xbox-style) shooting enemies to be a troubling ethical clusterfuck.

[#3 posted by joflow , September 20, 2007 12:40 PM]

I can't even imagine the level of heightened awareness these guys must have to maintain day in and out just to stay alive. It's got got to be a pretty sobering reminder that if you'd been just a little more careless, and didn't notice that thing on the side of the road, you might be missing your face now. It's got to suck even more to get that reminder several times a day, every day.

[#4 posted by strider_mt2k , September 20, 2007 1:22 PM]

Bring the bots back home!

[#5 posted by TheCynic , September 20, 2007 5:18 PM]

That's excellent. I wonder if it was just a training session, though? I would think if they thought it was an explosive, they'd just shoot it.

I'd be curious to see how much damage the robot actually took, too. Wonder if it was totaled or able to get back up and running with a few spare parts.

[#6 posted by dculberson , September 21, 2007 1:31 PM]

Shooting it wouldn't necessarily set off the explosives. They use these things a lot, so I doubt this was a training session. (Not to mention that the 'bots are expensive, so blowing up one for training would be .. well .. expensive.)