What is Digg?80 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14What will you do when your first stilt explodes?!
- KhadBanks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11They found that children were better suited.
- bookishboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I have serious reservations about a product billed as a "landmine-proof shoe", and I reserve non-exclusive rights to say I-told-you-so when the first leg gets blown off.
- rtjac, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9You step on landmines with the shoes you've got, not the ones you want.
- johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Some mine go off due to vibrations and some have magnetic sensors. It's easy to adjust for this 'shoe' Even if it's effective now, it won't be for long.
- thewise1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I'm surprised they can't just break the sound barrier over said minefield a couple times and go fill the craters (if they want it flat again)
- spunkmyer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I'm waiting for the mandatory add-on that has a extra shoe that kicks your as$ for walking into the minefield in the first place.
- JimV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6If you RTFA, you would see that these "shoes" do not protect you from an explosion; they keep you from setting off the mine at all.
- DeepNarcosis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Cool, we've come along way since I had to use wooden sticks to probe for mines, now if they can just come up with something to breech obstacles other than the lowest man on the totem-pole jumping on the razor-wire while the rest of the squad runs over his back, then the last man pulls him off. I still have the scars from being that lowest man!
chicken101 - those mines are referred to as Bouncing Bettys', they pop and jump up after the foot is removed from the trigger, hope that helps. - gnalakalaciath5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5its only a landmine proof shoe until they start making landmine proof shoe proof landmines
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5We could strap one to each leg and throw some spares in the truck. I'm all for this endeavor.
- ctheory, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Whatever happened to them sending robots out into minefields?
- panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5RTFA moron there's a pic
- Keiser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Imagine how much its going to cost to implent "spider legs" for soldiers when the coalition forces are still lacking good armor. I say buy some of that dragon armor instead of wasting it on something thats going to be next to useless.
- chicken101, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Some landmines actually jump out of the ground, and then explode. How affective would the shoe be then.
- Burgerman851, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"What will you do when your first stilt explodes?!"
Lose my balance and fall on another mine, of course. - ahhell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4That is the stupidest thing ever.
Why use a "robot shoe" when you can just use a damn robot?
It makes NO sense. - chicken101, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6You think wrong.
- lilfroger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3FTA "Each of the shoe's six legs has a metal detector in its base."
So what about non-metallic mines? If a metal detector is the only way to know the shoe is over a mine it seems to me there would still be a high failure rate. - MuffinMan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7No Digg, you'd still go BOOM.
- Simply_J, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Some other landmines are also made of mostly plastic in order to specifically defeat metal/mine detectors. This shoe wouldn't help you out at all, it's better to put the defense budget into better sensors like ground radar to detect and avoid these mines.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Considering the fact the there are many different kinds of mines (ie. all shapes and sizes) I wonder how effective this would actually be? If more than one leg resides over a mine, can they both lift and still support the wearer's weight?
- jctambay, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@ johndi
the main application of this is to clearmine fields from wars past, landmines are now rarely used in combat, and outlawed by international law. Its not a matter of someone develping a mine that will beat the shoe, since the mines have been in the ground for years. - iWorks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3looks like this "shoe" is lifting a leg and urinating on the land mine.
- redrob, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4again read the article ... the shoe is designed to detect the mines as one traverses the field and not trigger them ... not provide some shield against the explosion
- CamZak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Sometimes the most advanced method isn't the best. In WWII they had to come up with a way to clear mine fields. They eventually came up with a simple, low tech solution of a device attached to the front of a tank with heavy chains that would be spun so they hit the ground. Tank would drive ahead of infantry and pulverize the ground, detonating mines, the infantry would walk behind the tank...lest you want to become a human mine detonator. Someone should make a smaller version of this. You'ld have to watch out for shrapnel from the explosions and such, but it could clear a large area pretty quicky. In areas with dense cover, it wouldn't work. But for large fields it'd work pretty good. Steel chains are probably a lot cheaper to replace than that thing.
On a side note...what happens if a mine is in between two of the 6 robotic feet on the shoe? Having two of the right front 'legs' of the shoe lift up unexpectedly would be a pretty easy way to fall. And what about the possibility that even if the shoe directly above the mine doesn't press down, the other feet compress the ground down enough to detonate the mine. - jinexile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Pretty sure tests would be done with inactive mines first. I'd hate to be the first one to field test it though... actually I'd hate to be in a sitaution where I was in the position to have to wear these altogether.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4The best mine detector ever invented is the US politician.
- opinionist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2could use these shoes to avoid stepping in dog doo on the sidewalks (North Side Chicago). hey - these would work for the French too! awesome.
- EricWurth02, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If there are some mines clustered together all bunched up...
would it lift ALL of its legs at once? - SpacemanSpiff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No protection from pungee sticks.
*You have died of dysentery. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2^jctambay
You have obviously not been in a recent war or watched the news or been in the military? The only people paying any attention to international law when it comes to war is I think Britain, France, Germany, and the US. Call a mine an EID then if you must, but they are still being used, and used heavily. Heck cluster bombs are still used and a good number of those hockey puck sized explosives don't go off on contact like they are supposed to. Either way this contraption will not work properly and won't be worth the money spent on it... - Keiser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Im saying why waste alot of money for some 6 legged contraption that will only stop certain types of mines and roadside explosives when our armies still require basic body armor and vehicle armor. Most roadside attacks are from IEDs. These are usually set off by remote detentation, meaning this thing wont do ***** for someone. Also have you considered if the soldiers will even be able to walk up stairs and over rubble with these? Will it slow them down and leave them open to small arms and sniper fire? This is why I would rather get hit with a mine than wear this and be nearly immobile on a battlefield. Some of our troops are still riding in unarmored SUVs, this spider leg is a waste of resources.
- pwhyll, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3nice idea. i dont want to be first volunteer to test this!
- johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2JC, many countries did not sign that treaty, including the US, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, North & South Korea, Indonesia ... well most of Asia didn't sign it. Which is to say this treaty isn't law for over 80% of the world's population.
- everfalling, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2what ever happened to that tank with the roller in the front that flailed chains at the ground to set off the land mines? you'd think those would work well to sweep a feild clear of the things as opposed to putting actual people in harms way, esp if you got the tank to be remote controlled.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2what happens if like 5 mines are real close together, all the feet would loosen up and you'd step on it anyways
- triad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2that is the most untactical worthless invention i have ever seen. special forces? as if they would actaully be able to snaek around and patrol with those hulking monstrosities on their feet.
- whackaxe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2cool idea, just pray it doesn't run out of batteries in a the midle of a minefield
- tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So the shoe will come disguised as a little dog?
- dlvolk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Or monkeys?
- hyzenthlay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the pic looks weird
- panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Looks like it's getting to be time to re-think the DMZ between North and South Korea
- basselope, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmmm... I seem to remember a four-legged design...
"...such a project was suggested in a letter to the Cambodia Daily newspaper back in 1996. The writer suggested that the millions of English cattle which might have mad cow disease be shipped to Cambodia, where whilst roaming, they might detonate the millions of mines buried in that country."
http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Animal_20Mine_20Clearance
I wonder what ever happened to that? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How about fly fishing for mines with a brick and a long rope - then you wouldn't have to dig up the untriggered mines.
- tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"This reminds me of the time I painted the floor... Now what the hell do I do????"
"Someone toss me a battery! My shoe is out. But BE CAREFULL THere are mines EVERYWHERE!!!!" - tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Then the shoe should start playing "Bang" By Gorky Park before you step on the mine!
- collectivescott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1JC beat me to it. The US refuses to sign the treaty. Along with Kyoto, Ban on Child Soldiers, a ban on Space Weapons, and a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. International law doesn't exist with the US running the show.
- Wyzard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No, the idea is to avoid triggering the mine in the first place. It won't explode because it never actually gets stepped on.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Robots are expensive.
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