You just knew it was coming: the Zionist Deathbot.TM
A new, smart Israeli military robot can fight its way down dark alleys, through caves and over rubble, seeking out bombs and booby traps along the way and warning human foot soldiers of enemies and danger ahead, its manufacturer said Thursday.
Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s leading defense electronics companies, said its robotic point man, designated VIPeR, is small and light enough to be carried into battle on a soldier’s back, but the 11 kilogram (25 lb), 23 centimeter (9 inch) tall tough guy packs a full-size punch.
The remote-controlled unit can be fitted with a mini-Uzi automatic pistol, fragmentation, stun and smoke grenades, explosives sniffer and day and night vision cameras, Elbit said. It can climb stairs and find its way around with preprogrammed mapping software. The company said that the Israeli military was planning to carry out operational trials with the VIPeR with a view to deploying it with infantry units.
After years of Palestinian-Israeli fighting, various kinds of robots are widely used by the Israeli army and police for inspecting suspect objects thought to be bombs, checking buildings for booby traps and sniffing out arms and explosives.
Elbit said the VIPeR is currently making its first public appearance at the winter exhibition of the Association of the United States Army, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
I have nothing to add beyond what Elder of Ziyon says in this post:
Israel-bashers like to talk about Israel’s huge defense system and how unequal the battlefield is. What they fail to mention is that a significant part of Israel’s defense budget goes towards weapons that minimize the loss of human lives, both Israel’s and its enemies’. Can you imagine Hamas or Hezbollah being interested in smart weapons when the same amount of money would buy hundreds of dumb bombs? Can anyone even fathom an Arab fighter who cares in the least about whether he kills soldiers or civilians?
In the end, the effectiveness of this hugely expensive robot is roughly similar to that of a Jihadist intent on reaching Paradise – and he costs nothing, in the Islamist calculus. To Israel’s sworn enemies, the thought of developing such a robot would be absurd when they have a near-infinite supply of indoctrinated Islamic human munitions. They don’t want to minimize human losses – they want to maximize them. And that is a much, much cheaper way to wage war.
Which shows again, in a nutshell, the difference between Israel and those who try to destroy her.
Update: How’s this for a laughable headline?
Israeli Firm Unveils Portable Hunter/Killer Robot
Update: Here’s a picture of our hunter/killer robot.
