Hi everyone. I live in Waltham, Massachusetts. Ignorant people from other parts of the country tend to stereotype people from Massachusetts as some sort of weak "girlie men"; and who are peace-niks.
Although that may be true. We are also the home of such noble Universities like MIT and Harvard. Places where are resident geeks dream up new ways of killing foreign devils -without getting our hands dirty.
Gentle people of the TFP -I present to you:
The Talon Robot
Quote:
TALON Robots -- The Soldier's Choice
TALON™ robots are powerful, durable, lightweight tracked vehicles that are widely used for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), reconnaissance, communications, sensing, security, defense and rescue. They have all-weather, day/night and amphibious capabilities and can navigate virtually any terrain.
How are they different from other robots on the market?
- Man-portable -- At less than 100 lb (45 kg), TALON can be easily transported and is instantly ready for operation.
- Rugged -- TALON robots can take a punch and stay in the fight. One was blown off the roof of a Humvee in Iraq recently while the Humvee was crossing a bridge over a river. TALON flew off the bridge and plunged into the river below. Soldiers later used its operator control unit to drive the robot back out of the river and up onto the bank so they could retrieve it.
- Fast -- TALON is the fastest robot on the market today with seven speed settings.
- High payload capacity -- Long-term system versatility optimizes investment. TALON has the highest payload capacity and payload-to-weight ratio, allowing for the incorporation of a broad array of sensor packages.
- Mobile -- Climbs stairs, negotiates rock piles, overcomes concertina wire, plows through snow and surf; can right itself.
- Intuitive -- Easiest robot to operate; joystick controls.
- Withstand repeated decontamination -- Demonstrated at Ground Zero after 2001 World Trade Center attack in New York City. Electronics withstood 45 straight days of being decontaminated twice a day without failing.
- Long battery life -- TALON robots have the longest battery life of all man-portable robots.
How are they used?
TALON for EOD/IED Missions
TALON robots have been in continuous, active military service since 2000 when they were successfully used in Bosnia for the safe movement and disposal of live grenades. They were the only American-made robots successfully used at Ground Zero in search and recovery efforts after the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the only robots to last through the entire mission without requiring a major repair.
TALON robots were the first robots taken into Afghanistan during action against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden in February 2002. They initially accompanied the Special Forces on a Classified mission, and are still there now doing EOD work. They were on the ground in Kuwait when coalition forces massed in 2003 and have been in Iraq ever since performing EOD/IED (improvised explosive device) missions. TALON robots have now completed more than 20,000 EOD missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
TALON for Reconnaissance
A smaller, lighter TALON weighing just 60 lb (27 kg) and equipped with a variety of day/night color cameras and sensitive listening devices is ideal for reconnaissance missions. It has all the features of the large TALON, but does not have an arm or gripper.
TALON for Armed Reconnaissance
TALON robots can be configured with M240 or M249 machine guns or Barrett 50-caliber rifles for armed reconnaissance missions. A prototype system was delivered to the 3/2 Stryker brigade for evaluation, and successful testing was performed by the brigade in Kuwait in December 2003. Additional prototypes have been manufactured and are currently undergoing system safety certification by the U.S. Army. Alternative weapons, including 40 mm grenade launchers and anti-tank rocket launchers, continue to be evaluated by the U.S. Army.
TALON for Chemical/Nuclear First Responders
In 2004, TALONs became the first robots equipped with off-the-shelf chemical, gas, temperature, and radiation sensors that can be read simultaneously, remotely and in real time via one integrated hand-held display unit invented for this purpose by Foster-Miller. TALON’s decontamination survival capabilities (described above) make it an ideal platform for this type of mission. The first sensor-suite robot has been delivered to the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Fire Department, Picatinny, NJ for testing and evaluation.
2005 TALONTM brochure, complete with detailed specifications, is now available, along with data sheets on the robots explaining how they are equipped for various missions. Use the links below, or see our literature page under "Defense" and "Homeland Security."
View/download new TALON robots brochure.
View/download new Weaponized TALON data sheet.
View/download new Hazard Sensing TALON data sheet.
Read a letter from EOD Marines in Iraq about using the TALON robot there.
Read other e-mails from Iraq that were sent by soldiers who use TALON robots there.
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And finally unless you think that I was some unfeeling grub. I present you with pictures of the talon.
The only downside that I can see of this robot is that you can't actually just give it commands like "Kill Sara Connor". You actually have to use a joystick. That and it's not yet legal to have one of these following you around as a bodyguard.
Perhaps someday.