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Science & Technology
Video Games Can Save Your Life
2006-03-10
March 10, 2006: The U.S. Army has discovered a remote control gun turret that works, and cannot get enough of them. The army wants over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but is only getting 15 a month. There should be about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year.

The idea for CROWS has been around for nearly half a century. Years of tinkering, and better technology, eventually made the remote control gun turret effective and dependable. CROWS us a real life saver, not to mention anxiety reducer, for troops who drive through bandit country a lot, and have a turret mounted gun (usually in a hummer). The guy manning the turret mounted machine-gun is a target up there, and too often, the bad guys get you. Not with CROWS. The gunner is inside the vehicle, checking out the surroundings on a computer monitor (with night vision and telephoto capabilities). CROWS also has a laser rangefinder built in, as well as a stabilizer mechanism to allow more accurate fire while the vehicle is moving. The CROWS systems cost about $260,000 each, and can mount a variety of weapons (M2 .50 caliber machine-gun, MK19 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, M240B 7.62mm machine-gun and M249 5.56mm squad automatic weapon).

But there's another reason, not often talked about, for the success of CROWS. The guys operating these systems grew up playing video games. They developed skills in operating systems (video games) very similar to the CROWS controls. This was important, because viewing the world around the vehicle via a vidcam is not as enlightening (although a lot safer) than having your head and chest exposed to the elements, and any firepower the enemy sends your way. But experienced video gamers are skilled at whipping that screen view around, and picking up any signs of danger. Iraqis are amazed at how observant CROWS is. Iraqis tend to just wrote this off as another example of American "magic." But the troops know betters. Video games can save your life.
Posted by:Steve

#13  i was lost until i played vids

look at meeeeeee

HOWARD FUCKING RULES
Posted by: Eat Pig Shit   2006-03-10 17:08  

#12  Phase 2:

Posted by: DMFD   2006-03-10 23:43  

#11  Yessirreee, boss, even da missles have their own missles, the lasers have lasers, etc. Imagine a single JSTARS, etal. carrying a handful of self-defense armed UAVS, where the latter UAV themselves each have enuff "babies" inside to = the firepower/abilities of a Cold War-sized escort fighter squadron, or better. And now you know yet another raeson why Russia-China, etal, believe war against America at or shortly after 2015-2018/2020 is not only possible, but DESIRED.
Gotta stop hyperpower America and its Allies somehow, some where, some time, and iff Comies-Lefties can't rule the world, NO ONE WILL. GOING TO TAKE THE WORLD WID THEM TO HELL.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-03-10 23:06  

#10  The army wants over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but is only getting 15 a month. There should be about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year.

I have to laugh. There will be nothing like that quantity fielded by the end of the year. Maybe in Recon Optical's wet dream (they are the manufacturer).

CROWS is a good system, but it is heavy and expensive. It is not appropriate for a HMMWV as it overloads the already overloaded vehicle.

If the vehicle is down for service, that weapon system that is well more than twice the cost of the vehicle is down too.

CROWS and the similar Enforcer system made by Konnegsburg on the Stryker are for gunship-style vehicles, lead vehicles dedicated to a force protection role.

There are other lighter, much less expensive remote weapon systems that mount the M-240 7.62mm weapon that are appropriate for the majority of vehicles out there. These can be easily removed from the vehicle and placed on a tripod for checkpoint, perimeter security or remote sniper duty. They can be networked (unlike CROWS) together for FOB perimeter security. They can also be mounted on small UGV's for armed recon missions. Much more flexible, much more cost-effective and an ideal complement to the bigger CROWS and Enforcer systems.

And yes, video game skills do transfer to these weapon systems. This is first-person-shooter with the real thing.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-03-10 17:00  

#9  SteveS: You're right, in that this is an intermediate step on the road to teleoperated or even fully autonomous weapons systems mounted on robots. (I seem to remember reading a book about that not too long ago.)
Posted by: Mike   2006-03-10 14:11  

#8  "That's all you do is play video games!!!!!
But mom, I want to be a soldier, it's a career move."
Posted by: plainslow   2006-03-10 11:39  

#7  Always to simple things US army arrives late.
Many soldiers died because HMMVV and M-113 doesnt have crew protected weapon stations. And many M113 CPWS were rusting in depots.
Posted by: Omoter Hupolurt9095   2006-03-10 11:20  

#6  Intergrating it with a metal storm system would rock!
Posted by: ShepUK   2006-03-10 11:06  

#5  In the borders thingy, I was picturing something like armored sensor kiosks - for lack of a better term.

You can put sound, IR, movement sensors which trigger an attention alarm. One operator could monitor literally dozens - as long as operators were available on short-notice call once one (or more) is triggered. Of course, you'd also have an alarm for a unit dropping out, such as someone cutting the power source.
Posted by: .com   2006-03-10 10:58  

#4  What I find intriguing about this is that once you are operating by wire, the wire can become really, really long. Suddenly, your people don't have to be on-site and the weapon can be manned 24/7 if need be.

You also solve some packaging issues. Even the most battle hardened Marine is soft and squishy compared to hydraulics and circuit boards. Plus, he wants all sorts of creature comforts like oxygen, food, bathroom breaks, and a temperature range where water remains liquid.

As the article mentions, one of the biggest problems is how to give the operator situational awareness. Anyone who has played with a flight sim knows how hard it is to maintain a sense what is happening around you.
Posted by: SteveS   2006-03-10 10:52  

#3  Ma Deuce v2.0, with the improved point-and-click interface.
Posted by: Mike   2006-03-10 10:35  

#2  I hope they are smart enough to put a lifelike dummy up in the turret to draw fire.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-03-10 09:45  

#1  Sounds like an idea whose time has come - for border work... all of the borders we deal with...
Posted by: .com   2006-03-10 09:40  

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