Soldier became one of the best UAV pilots through video games

2009-02-07 22:20:08

#1

Poseidon: Fudgepack DeQueef; +3,253|6976|Long Island, New York

An 18-year-old soldier parlayed hand-eye coordination skills he gained playing Xbox into a key asssignment with the Army's drone aircraft section, says author P.W. Singer.

Democracy Now! has posted an interview with Singer, whose latest book is Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century. Of the young gamer-soldier, Singer said:

AMY GOODMAN: The relationship with games? You write that the best pilot is an eighteen-year-old kid who trained on an [Xbox] video game...?

P.W. SINGER: Yeah. He was actually a high school dropout who wanted to join the military to make his father proud. He wanted to be a helicopter mechanic. And they said, “Well, you failed your high school English course, so you’re not qualified to be a mechanic. But would you like to be a drone pilot?” And he said, “Sure.” And it turned out, because of playing on video games, he was already good at it. He was naturally trained up. And he turned out to be so good that they brought him back from Iraq and made him an instructor in the training academy, even though he’s an enlisted man and he’s still—he was nineteen.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/02/07/ … pilot-iraq
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/07/soldi … deo-games/

2009-02-07 22:22:53

#2

Cybargs: Moderated; +2,285|7155

I want job now.

https://cache.www.gametracker.com/server_info/203.46.105.23:21300/b_350_20_692108_381007_FFFFFF_000000.png

2009-02-07 22:25:47

#3

Adams_BJ: Russian warship, go fuck yourself; +2,055|7061|Little Bentcock

I get to fly helicopters for the Army, I hope my video game training holds out

2009-02-07 22:26:18

#4

Flaming_Maniac: prince of insufficient light; +2,490|7146|67.222.138.85

I could fly one with a $5 keyboard, don't need a fancy-schmancy stick.

2009-02-07 23:23:48

#5

KuSTaV: noice; +947|6950|Gold Coast

Adams_BJ wrote:
I get to fly helicopters for the Army, I hope my video game training holds out

I want to fly chawpahs for teh armies...
But my joystick is screwed, so I wont have that much of an advantage. Hopefully they convert their choppers to have a QWERTY keyboard so dickheads like me can fly

noice

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/26774/awsmsanta.png

2009-02-07 23:30:51

#6

Reciprocity: Member; +721|7020|the dank(super) side of Oregon

i like that army logic:

"sorry, you're too dumb to fix helicopters. here,fly this UAV."

2009-02-08 00:58:51

#7

Bradt3hleader: Care [ ] - Don't care [x]; +121|6375

Wonder what I can do when I join the USMC. I want to be the first-in-kick-ass infantry man but donno if they'll let me. Anywho I'm going to a 3 year PC school and we'll be doing alot of programming and everything else about PCs. Knowing that what would they put me in?

EDIT: Any WTF??? How does failing grammar be a problem when being a helo mechanic?? FFS...instead they give him complicated UAV drones...just brilliant just brilliant.

So now when somebody fails mathematics they make him be in charge of handling artillery coordinates???

Last edited by Bradt3hleader (2009-02-08 01:00:37)

2009-02-08 01:33:42

#8

FFLink: There is.; +1,380|7130|Devon, England

Bradt3hleader wrote:
Wonder what I can do when I join the USMC. I want to be the first-in-kick-ass infantry man but donno if they'll let me. Anywho I'm going to a 3 year PC school and we'll be doing alot of programming and everything else about PCs. Knowing that what would they put me in?

EDIT: Any WTF??? How does failing grammar be a problem when being a helo mechanic?? FFS...instead they give him complicated UAV drones...just brilliant just brilliant.

So now when somebody fails mathematics they make him be in charge of handling artillery coordinates???

I guess it's not a one man team. He'll have someone just telling him where to go and he'll fly the thing to said location.

2009-02-08 01:40:32

#9

Defiance: Member; +438|7110

Ok, he's probably got good hand-eye coordination and dexterity. He didn't train on any game, just used his hands for something and continued to do the same.

Thinking of it like a game has got to be boring as hell.

2009-02-08 02:03:26

#10

Nappy: Apprentice; +151|6668|NSW, Australia

someone in my clan used to be in the army/air force/ something and now hes a techer for them or something? he said if im ever up his way, hell let me come in the heli simulator

2009-02-08 10:06:26

#11

FatherTed: xD; +3,936|6939|so randum

iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller

Small hourglass island
Always raining and foggy
Use an umbrella

2009-02-08 10:14:13

#12

TheEternalPessimist: Wibble; +412|7059|Mhz

FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller

Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.

2009-02-08 10:34:15

#13

Yellowman03: Once Again, We Meet at Last; +108|6674|Texas

Flaming_Maniac wrote:
I could fly one with a $5 keyboard, don't need a fancy-schmancy stick.

doesn't that depend on your gunner

2009-02-08 10:41:41

#14

Whiplash: Future Aviator; +40|6220|Central Texas

Nappy wrote:
someone in my clan used to be in the army/air force/ something and now hes a techer for them or something? he said if im ever up his way, hell let me come in the heli simulator

That's pretty cool. I want to the Apache simulator here once. It was pretty cool. I got to fly .

2009-02-08 10:44:44

#15

Rohirm: Fear is a Leash; +85|6610|New Austin, Not

TheEternalPessimist wrote:
FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.

2009-02-08 10:51:04

#16

Noobpatty: ʎʇʇɐdqoou; +194|6793|West NY

Rohirm wrote:
TheEternalPessimist wrote:
FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c … r_2007.jpg

I think in that one Future Weapons episode they used an Xbox 360 controller to control that robot with the mounted m249

2009-02-08 10:54:11

#17

Sidsnot: Banned; +93|6001|Stoke, England

TheEternalPessimist wrote:
FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.

Would be easier with a PS3 controller

(joke)

2009-02-08 10:57:05

#18

Noobpatty: ʎʇʇɐdqoou; +194|6793|West NY

Sidsnot wrote:
TheEternalPessimist wrote:
FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.
Would be easier with a PS3 controller

(joke)

Same old PS2 controller for PS3 = fail. They should have figured it out that triggers are better at everything than 4 shoulder buttons.

2009-02-08 10:58:54

#19

Sidsnot: Banned; +93|6001|Stoke, England

Noobpatty wrote:
Sidsnot wrote:
TheEternalPessimist wrote:
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.
Would be easier with a PS3 controller

(joke)
Same old PS2 controller for PS3 = fail. They should have figured it out that triggers are better at everything than 4 shoulder buttons.

L2 and R2 are better than triggers

On the PS3 controller

Last edited by Sidsnot (2009-02-08 11:00:17)

2009-02-08 11:05:23

#20

steelie34: pub hero!; +603|6820|the land of bourbon

yeah i like the PS controller more than the xbox

https://bf3s.com/sigs/36e1d9e36ae924048a933db90fb05bb247fe315e.png

2009-02-08 12:23:49

#21

CrazeD: Member; +368|7112|Maine

I was a pretty badass chopper pilot back in the BF2 days, I should do this!

2009-02-08 12:30:59

#22

FFLink: There is.; +1,380|7130|Devon, England

Rohirm wrote:
TheEternalPessimist wrote:
FatherTed wrote:
iirc on one of the recruitment ads for the army, they showed a clip of a solider controlling a UAV with a xbox360 controller
Yeh they do, not sure if the US army does but some UK drones are controlled using 360 controllers, makes them easier to learn.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c … r_2007.jpg

Aha ha ha!

A true FPS warrior.

"I wish we could just use a controller in war, then I'd kick ass!"

*Wish granted*

(I don't know if I explained why I found it funny right. I thought that was a joke picture at first )

2009-02-08 12:46:01

#23

Hurricane2k9: Pendulous Sweaty Balls; +1,538|6141|College Park, MD

It's a shame you still have to be fit to be a UAV pilot.

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/36793/marylandsig.jpg

2009-02-08 12:52:33

#24

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6833|The Gem Saloon

Hurricane2k9 wrote:
It's a shame you still have to be fit to be a UAV pilot.

are you seriously that out of shape?

2009-02-08 12:56:22

#25

DesertFox-: The very model of a modern major general; +796|7123|United States of America

Parker wrote:
Hurricane2k9 wrote:
It's a shame you still have to be fit to be a UAV pilot.
are you seriously that out of shape?

He's just too fat. Hurri's hand-eye coordination is better than the guy in the articles, except he just can't move his arms. Hurri washes himself with a rag on a stick.

BF2S Forums Soldier became one of the best UAV pilots through video games

Adams_BJ wrote:

Bradt3hleader wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Nappy wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

Rohirm wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

Sidsnot wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

Noobpatty wrote:

Sidsnot wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

Rohirm wrote:

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

FatherTed wrote:

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

Parker wrote:

Hurricane2k9 wrote:

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