Nintendo Wii controller and Apple iPhone to be used by the US military
BY DAVE PARRACK
MARCH 27, 2008
The Nintendo Wii and the Apple iPhone are two of the most popular gadgets on the market right now. But their uses go beyond mere entertainment, and the technology in both devices has now been adapted to be used by the US military.
According to New Scientist, two boffins, David Bruemmer and Douglas Few from the US Department of Energy centre in Idaho, have adopted the Wiimote controller for use in a military robot used to dispose of bombs.
While gamers use the Wii remote controller to play tennis and baseball without ever having to leave the comfort of their own homes, soldiers will now be able to use them to clear war zones of potentially lethal mines, and bombs set to detonate on impact.
The robot system, called the Packbot, is already used by the American military, and there are 500 or so in Iraq right now, but traditional remote controllers were found to take up too much of the operators attention.
The simplicity of the Wiimote allows operators to instinctively operate the robot, allowing them to better concentrate on the data being collected.
Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone is also being targeted for use in a military setting, with the two scientists looking to utilise the design to help communication in the field.
It’s thought the iPhone could even replace the Panasonic ToughBooks which soldiers currently use to communicate with each other, and receive messages from base.
I’m all for popular applications being used in a military setting, especially if they can save lives, but the iPhone isn’t exactly the most sturdy of products. Maybe a little bit of a redesign is in order before it reaches the heat of battle.
The Wii remote though should be a good fit, as it was designed to be used by kids as young as five. If highly trained military personnel can’t operate one successfully, then I think we may have a bigger problem on our hands.
Source: BlorgeLabels: Apple, iPhone, Nintendo, wiimote |
