Innovation sometimes comes from unexpected places. As the competition heats up for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, where top-notch tech is going head to head, a new Israeli tank is borrowing from the gaming world, and specifically Xbox.
A new, real tank named the Camel has been created with video game technology in mind. From the outside, the behemoth looks like a standard weapon of war, however, a deeper dive shows that the tank is actually controlled by an Xbox controller.
The Camel tank was designed specifically to take advantage of a video game-style interface, and with young members of the Israeli Defense Force in mind. While learning to control a massive tank may be difficult, using an Xbox controller may come more naturally. In the US, it is becoming more standard to have video games in the household. This is true for overseas as well.
The controller is just the start. If approved, the Camel will use a gaming headset as well, as the designers are looking for "something lighter and more portable.” Meir Shabtai, the general manager of IAI’s robotics systems operations, believes that the next generation of military members has grown up feeling comfortable with this type of technology, so using the same applications may create a more efficient soldier. Many believe that the Xbox One controller is the best of all time, though not many anticipated it could be controlling weapons of war in real life.
This isn't the first time gaming tech has been used for military-style interface. Xbox controllers have been used before, and even Wii remotes have been used to control bomb-disposing robots. Even outside of the military, the Xbox One controller was used for replays by the XFL earlier this year.
Incredibly, the Xbox controller as the interface is just the start of the Camel tank's video game influence. The tank has AI functionality that was trained from StarCraft II, arguably one of the best strategy games ever. After just a few weeks, the bots performed better than humans by 20 to 30 percent, by taking less damage on the simulated runs, thanks to training from StarCraft II and even Doom.
Source: Washington Post