While there is no doubt about science and technology making our lives better, it is no big secret that most research is done in military division and how to upgrade defenses. Speaking of which, South Korean forces have installed a team of robots that have been created by a subsidiary of Samsung along the border with North Korea. The robots are known as SGR-1.
SGR-1 are equipped with 5.5 mm machine gun and a 40mm grenade launcher while also boasting heat and motion detectors for locking targets that are more than 2 miles away. However, a human operator is required for opening fire (the go ahead is required). The system went on a trial run back in 2006.
Samsung Techwin spokeman Huh Kwang-hak said, “Human soldiers can easily fall asleep or allow for the depreciation of their concentration over time. But these robots have automatic surveillance, which doesn’t leave room for anything resembling human laziness. They also won’t have any fear (of) enemy attackers on the front lines. The SGR-1 can and will prevent wars.”
These robots have been deployed along with soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone also known as DMZ. It is a 160 mile long and a 2.5 mile wide strip of land that separates South Korea from North Korea. As per speculation, one unit of SRG-1 costs $200,000, however, the total number of deployed robots is not confirmed. When the SRG-1 detects a potential threat, the command center is notified and the operator then makes use of robots’ video and audio devices to communicate before opening fire.
In the words of Kwang-huk, “The SGR-1 is essentially a protection technology which will serve and protect our human soldiers against enemy attackers in their dispatched danger zones.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INyVbf-yG7s