U.S. Military Tests Robot That Fires Machine Gun

The U.S. military may implement a robot that has fired a machine gun at targets up to 500 feet away.

Though drones have assaulted targets from the sky, this is the first time a robot on the ground has fired a weapon. Four companies tested the gun-wielding bots in front of senior army officers at Fort Benning, Ga., last weekend.

Land robots have long been a part of the U.S. military, most notably as bomb disposers. The robot that fired the M-240 machine gun is called the Protector, and had previously only been used to clear paths, dig defensive positions and carry up to 500 pounds of equipment for infantry. It's maximum speed is only 5 miles per hour. Read more...