A bunch of cool pictures from the Atlantic via Global Guerrillas
I’ve been out of the country otherwise I would have posted sooner. This is really pretty awesome stuff. While these systems are not technically “Open Source” they certainly fit with the spirit of disruptive/free technology being used in warfare. Not only does this underscore the general trends of super-empowerment via technology, it also brings up interesting questions about what Americans would consider Second Amendment rights. Here we have a group of people using these technologies to liberate themselves from an oppressive government. If that isn’t a modern version of the events that caused Jefferson & Co. to include the Second Amendment I don’t know what is. I particularly like the UGV with a machine gun mounted on it. While the U.S. has similar robots (iRobot’s Talon) I don’t think any of them have been used in combat. I would love to find out if it was used. If it was, it might be the first time a UGV has been used in combat. Overall this is really exciting and inspiring stuff.
If anyone in Libya comes across this post and knows some of the folks involved I would love to chat with them via email and write a detailed post. I’m particularly interested in the design process and the effectiveness of these platforms (lessons learned, most important design aspects, tools that would have helped the process, etc.).
