Are We Helping Build Military Weapons?

Gamers have been perfecting drone assaults and UAV strikes for years. Only recently have we seen major titles use actual military-grade specifications for weapons. Well, now it’s the military’s turn to use game specs for weapons. From the Kinect to the a Wiimote, the military is now utilizing gamings top tech for their own use.

Thanks to an article in The Week, we now have a clearer picture how some weapons of mass destruction are being implemented on a daily basis. Apparently not just the US Military, but armed forces all over the world.

Big Brother is watching...

The Kinect is a marvelous device that’s helped gamers shed some pounds while practicing their dance moves. In some cases it’s found a way into operating rooms, assisting doctors mid-surgery. The device has shown its usefulness beyond a fun game of darts or bowling. The infrared that spews from the Kinect is now used to keep a keen eye on the borders of North and South Korea. Creator Ko Jae-Kwan, says “For its price, the device is very accurate and effective in covering vulnerable areas.”

To controllers… and beyond!

Another motion-based game peripheral used for military purpose is the Wii controller. Surprisingly UAV’s are the primary use for this device. David Bruemmer, a U.S. Department of Energy engineer, who helped design the modified controller says “With the Wiimote, troops are able to control the robots more instinctively as the new control directly translates the movements of the hand into the movements of the robot.”

To assist in ground-based drones, the military has Xbox 360 controllers to navigate terrain. That’s right, but in order to use a “modified” controller the military had game designers come in and build a “cockpit” for the operator to help reduce error.

That means all your time spent in Call of Duty is actually military training. Though, I doubt it transfers well into actual resume experience. It’s worth noting the military recognizes the significance of gaming and sees it as a viable resource for tech and making it approachable for the end user.