Five Killer Military Robots
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The VIPeR, developed by Israeli defense contractors and designed to aid infantry in close urban combat. It can be fitted with video cameras or remote-controlled machine guns. (AP)
Lockheed Martin's Multiple Kill Vehicle, a robot that's shot into space, then hovers in orbit to shoot down enemy missiles. It's slated for termination by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. (Lockheed Martin)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates encounters a Packbot, a multipurpose military robot developed by iRobot of Boston, during a visit to Iraq. (U.S. Army)
Big Dog military pack robots at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., in June 2006. Boston Dynamics created the Big Dog along with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Harvard University and high-tech defense contractor Foster Miller. (U.S. Marine Corps)
British soldiers examine captured German Goliath robot tanks during World War II. The Wehrmacht used these remote-controlled mini-tanks to place explosives under bridges and enemy fortifications. (Public domain)