Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers • Hacker News Board

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#31

Post by libria » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:32 PM UTC

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

1 guy w/ a rigged RC truck bears no liability. A defense contractor shipping these devices will have a team of lawyers chasing them around if it fails to find a bomb that kills someone.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#32

Post by Cushman » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:35 PM UTC

rokhayakebe wrote: post #23

Cushman wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me be the first to say thank god they don't. We should all count our blessings that hackers tend to be peaceful people by nature. Imagine if we were trying to kill each other.

Well who do you think writes software that controls missiles?

I don't doubt there are some smart people who are trying to figure out how to kill each other. I'm just glad that's not most of us.

Edit: Although I guess I can extend that to human societies in general, not just hackers.

Edit 2: Man, no idea who manages to disagree with that.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#33

Post by HanPham » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:37 PM UTC

Most people are missing the point of this story. The question is, why are these people trying to kill US soldiers in the first place? The answer is because the US soldiers are invading a foreign country that's not theirs. So who is really the bad guy? The guys killing the invaders or the invaders?

The guys at the toystore who are sending the RC trucks to the US soldiers - did they even stop for one second to ask "Why are those soldiers being attacked?" How did they come to the instant conclusion that the US soldiers are the good guys? How is this obvious?

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#34

Post by JoeBracken » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:39 PM UTC

libria wrote: post #31

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

1 guy w/ a rigged RC truck bears no liability. A defense contractor shipping these devices will have a team of lawyers chasing them around if it fails to find a bomb that kills someone.

Great the legal environment we have created for ourselves prevents effective tools to be available to our troops.

I guess individual Americans are going to have to step up and fill the gap since contractors may not be willing, at low cost, to assume the liability.

I'd happily pay $500 plus the shipping to Afghanistan if it helps soldiers do their jobs faster and safer. I'm sure that I am not the only one.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#35

Post by sp332 » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:40 PM UTC

jxcole wrote: post #15

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

Agree with the first part. However, I think that as long as you were fairly firm that you were only interested in building technology that saved lives (no RC toys with guns on them), I would not feel guilty in the slightest. After all, this truck can't really be used to hurt anyone, just save lives.

Just tie some explosives to it, like the RC-XD (explosive device) in Modern Warfare 2.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#36

Post by HanPham » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:40 PM UTC

JoeBracken wrote: post #34

libria wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1 guy w/ a rigged RC truck bears no liability. A defense contractor shipping these devices will have a team of lawyers chasing them around if it fails to find a bomb that kills someone.

Great the legal environment we have created for ourselves prevents effective tools to be available to our troops. I guess individual Americans are going to have to step up and fill the gap since contractors may not be willing, at low cost, to assume the liability. I'd happily pay $500 plus the shipping to Afghanistan if it helps soldiers do their jobs faster and safer. I'm sure that I am not the only one.

Do what "job" faster? Killing innocent Afghanis?

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#37

Post by seagaia » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:43 PM UTC

erydo wrote: post #29

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

They'd sell for a high price not necessarily due to price gouging, but because it costs a lot to sell to the military. The overhead of quality control, support, and all of the bureaucracy involved in dealing with a military customer would dwarf the actual per-unit cost.

That sounds like an incredible waste with the overhead. I absolutely don't understand it. I think people in those power positions really need to stop treating the whole structure like a black box and realize it shouldn't be that damn hard to send some RC cars to Iraq to save lives.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#38

Post by dkokelley » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:44 PM UTC

jxcole wrote: post #15

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

Agree with the first part. However, I think that as long as you were fairly firm that you were only interested in building technology that saved lives (no RC toys with guns on them), I would not feel guilty in the slightest. After all, this truck can't really be used to hurt anyone, just save lives.

Any device designed to operate in a war zone is an implicit support of the activity. Even life-saving devices. If you made bullet-proof jackets and sold them to the US military, you are supporting the military. You may even be impacting the outcome of an engagement, or influencing the endgame.

If the truck did not exist, 6 US soldiers would likely be dead. The insurgents would probably prefer this. Because the truck existed, the soldiers may now go on to fulfill their missions, which may result in insurgents being killed.

Basically, war is an ugly thing. Don't expect to get involved without getting a little dirty.

P.S. In the interest of transparency, I am an American and a strong supporter of the US military. I have family currently serving, and I'm glad that there was a device like the truck that saved lives.

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#39

Post by protomyth » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:45 PM UTC

erydo wrote: post #29

illumin8 wrote: post #5

The funny thing is that if the DoD contracted out to build these, they would end up costing over $1 million each. There are a lot of unique opportunities for startups that are willing to use off the shelf technology and package it in unique ways. Provided, of course, you don't have any ethical qualms about selling technology that might be used for good or evil.

They'd sell for a high price not necessarily due to price gouging, but because it costs a lot to sell to the military. The overhead of quality control, support, and all of the bureaucracy involved in dealing with a military customer would dwarf the actual per-unit cost.

The DOD does take quite a bit of overhead to work with. They also do buy some stuff at pretty competitive prices. As I remember the tent contracts were actually pretty reasonable compared to what commercial 30-man tents cost (actually less than quite a few).

// Dad used to work for place that made tents and bags for DOD

Re: Hacker puts a video cam on an RC truck and saves the lives of 6 soldiers

#40

Post by jonaldomo » Fri, Aug 05, 2011, 4:46 PM UTC

PBS has a good documentary called remote control war. It is on netflix, it talks about similar current technologies and those under development. There is also a clip about hackerspaces developing similar devices later in the program.