Linky to rest of article
"U.S. soldiers in Iraq are giving nicknames and forming emotional bonds with bomb-defusing robots they have come to regard as teammates, according to the founder of the company that invented the machines.
IRobot Chief Executive Colin Angle said one group of soldiers even named its robot “Scooby Doo†and grieved when it was blown up after completing 35 successful missions defusing improvised explosive devices.
“Please fix Scooby Doo because he saved my life,†a soldier told repair technicians, according to Angle’s account at last week’s Future in Review technology conference.
The company, which is best known for Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, and Scooba, the floor-mopping robot, envisions a machine that would instill similar feelings in civilians.
Someday, Angle believes, these robots — which he calls â€physical avatars†— will help care for children and the elderly, giving parents and caregivers greater peace of mind as well as relief from mundane tasks.
But iRobot got its start as a military contractor, and its future also looks firmly wedded to the armed services."
"U.S. soldiers in Iraq are giving nicknames and forming emotional bonds with bomb-defusing robots they have come to regard as teammates, according to the founder of the company that invented the machines.
IRobot Chief Executive Colin Angle said one group of soldiers even named its robot “Scooby Doo†and grieved when it was blown up after completing 35 successful missions defusing improvised explosive devices.
“Please fix Scooby Doo because he saved my life,†a soldier told repair technicians, according to Angle’s account at last week’s Future in Review technology conference.
The company, which is best known for Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, and Scooba, the floor-mopping robot, envisions a machine that would instill similar feelings in civilians.
Someday, Angle believes, these robots — which he calls â€physical avatars†— will help care for children and the elderly, giving parents and caregivers greater peace of mind as well as relief from mundane tasks.
But iRobot got its start as a military contractor, and its future also looks firmly wedded to the armed services."
