Foster-Miller TALON Robot In front of the Troy Industries booth was this armed, tank-treaded robot. It's actually a Foster-Miller TALON robot--a combat monster that can travel through sand, water and snow up to 100 feet deep and even climb stairs. This puppy is obviously packing heat, sporting a mounted, tricked-out AR-style rifle, and is one of the company's new SWORDS, or Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System, designed for the U.S. Army. They cost about a ¼ of a million bucks (take a breath) and can additionally accommodate the SAW M249, M240 machine gun, M82 Barrett .50 cal rifle, a six-barreled 40mm grenade launcher or a quad 66mm M202A1 FLASH incendiary weapon. The robot is controlled by a soldier from a small console. With that kind of payload versatility and a trained soldier behind the wheel, we may soon see these SWORDS, or machines like them, patrolling dangerous urban combat zones putting metal at risk, rather than flesh. Foster-Miller.qinetiq-na.com.






** There’s nothing like getting behind the sights of a minigun, as Mike Cecil from CS Tactical (bottom) can attest to…other than maybe firing one, though I haven’t had that opportunity yet. Thanks to Tactical & Survival Specialties, Inc. for the display. It’s difficult to imagine the size of such a weapon, which is usually found mounted on military helicopters and other vehicles, for those who have never seen one in person. I was surprised at the compactness of the six-barreled, electrically driven machine gun with a variable rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammo per minute). It’s the spinning barrels that allow for such high rates of fire, distributing the burden and heat to six barrels rather than one. What’s truly amazing is to see, first hand, the evolutionary result of Richard Gatling’s concept from the 1860s.
** The folks at Bobster Eyewear get kudos for their creative display of a pair their Alpha Interchangeable Balistic Goggles that had spent some time down range. The goggles come with two sets of 2.5mm polycarbonate anti-fog lenses in smoke and clear. This black frame model is made of soft rubber with an anti-microbial foam frame. The lenses offer 100-percent UV protection and have passed stringent U.S. Army ballistics testing, ensuring they can take a beating, as evidenced by the display. They are designed to fit well under ballistics helmets and are marketed to law enforcement personnel as well as the military. Frame also comes in green. $89.98; Bobster.com.




