QinetiQ的MAARS語音戰(zhàn)斗機器人

????上圖這個全副武裝、兇神惡煞的機器人看起來似乎不太友好，仿佛多年以來科幻小說一直在警告我們的情形終于成真了。但是QinetiQ開發(fā)的這套模塊化高級武裝機器人系統(tǒng)（MAARS）并不一定像它看起來那樣有威脅。QinetiQ公司的CEO克勞奇博士表示：“它是用武裝的方式來應對一些情形，但并不一定非要使用武力。它不需要保護自己，人類才需要保護自己。”

????從這個意義上，克勞奇把MAARS稱為“武力降級者”。它既可以搭載致命武器，也可以搭載各種非致命性彈藥和激光炫目器等非致命武器。另外它還可以搭載日視、夜視攝像機和聲波傳感器等設備，以提高對局勢的認知。美軍已經(jīng)采購了少量這個型號的機器人，用來開發(fā)圍繞該技術的戰(zhàn)術和操作理念。也就是說，MAARS并不急著部署到前線。

????MAARS系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)誕生好幾年了，不過今年它新增了一個語音控制系統(tǒng)，讓士兵們可以直接通過語音指揮MAARS的平臺——但不包括它的武器系統(tǒng)。這種感覺就像班里又多了一個人類的戰(zhàn)友。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

QinetiQ's MAARS gets vocal

????The not-so-friendly looking robot above looks like what science fiction has long warned us about. But QinetiQ's Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) doesn't have to be as menacing as it looks. "It's an armed way of responding to something without necessarily taking armed action," says QinetiQ CEO Dr. J.D. Crouch. "It doesn't have to defend itself, whereas humans have to defend themselves."

????In that sense, Crouch describes MAARS as a "force de-escalator." It can be configured to impart lethal force, but MAARS is also designed to carry all kinds of less-lethal projectiles and non-lethal countermeasures like laser dazzlers, as well as day- and night-vision cameras and acoustic sensors to enhance situational awareness. The U.S. armed forces have taken delivery of a small number of the systems to develop tactics and concepts of operations around the technology. That is, MAARS isn't forward deployed -- that we know of.

????The MAARS system has been around for a few years now, but new this year is a voice command system that allows soldiers and marines to direct the MAARS platform -- but not its weaponry -- via vocal commands, much as they would a human member of their own squad.