Why Do We Never Consider Terminators?

[SRP76]

I watched Terminator 2 the other day, and one part that interested me was when John mused about "my own Terminator" when he discovered that he was its "boss".

Well, I naturally applied this to our zombie world.

When we talk about weapons, what to do in case of outbreak, government measures, and so on, we get the usual suspects: guns, supermarkets, military bunkers, etc.

Why not "Terminator" type military robots? No, not a bunch of Arnolds. Things as simple as, maybe, giant pincers on tank treads. Controlled by remote.

Seems to me that the military should try to develop something along those lines as rapidly as possible once the dead start walking. Just sit back, secure in your facility, without wasting ammo, and send out the "bots". They can be controlled remotely, are impervious to zombie attack (in fact, zombies will not attack them in the first place), and can be tracked by satellite, sent into heavily infested areas, and all that.

[Legion2213]

I think they already have "treaded robots" with mounted guns.

In a zombie situation, there is also zero chance of the enemy taking control of said robots via radiowaves (unless GAR changes the rules and BD discovers his forgotten hacking skills).


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[Rancid Carcass]

I think they already have "treaded robots" with mounted guns.

Johnny-Five is alive! :lol:

[Legion2213]

Die zombies, die!!! :D

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[sandrock74]

In a zombie situation, there is also zero chance of the enemy taking control of said robots via radiowaves (unless GAR changes the rules and BD discovers his forgotten hacking skills).


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I see Big Daddy being a looking at porn on the internet kinda zombie as opposed to a master hacker zombie.

Just my opinion. :lol:

[Wyldwraith]

I see Big Daddy being a looking at porn on the internet kinda zombie as opposed to a master hacker zombie.

Just my opinion. :lol:

Sadly there are an abundance of websites that would appeal to a flesh-hungry zombie. Everything from necrophiliacs to coffin-love.

Come to think of it, a review of the really deviant stuff is a compelling argument to root for the zombies to take us out.

Sorry to get all serious, got a laugh out of your post ;)
@SRP: Remote controlled warbots like those you describe are the first non-airstrike/artillery bombardment tactic with a viable chance of putting a dent in the endless hordes. Hell, you wouldn't even need anything more complex than really heavy treads/all terrain tires, a very heavy chassis and an old railroad-style cowcatcher mounted on each side of the square chassis. That way no matter which direction you move the warbot in, you're merrily crushing zombies.

If you wanted to get more technical and remove the need for someone at the remote controls you could simply install a basic physical dimension profile recognition + motion sensitive guidance system and turn it loose. Sort of like those little round vacuum robots that can be programmed to maneuver around furniture. Crushbot detects an object matching the humanoid profile once it moves, Crushbot runs down said object, ie zombie. Slap some solar panels on top and it'll keep crushing until some sort of mechanical breakdown occurs.

[SRP76]

I wouldn't trust a completely independent machine. I'd recommend having humans at the controls in some fashion.

Reasons are simple. These things must be out and running very early in the outbreak. They must be produced very quickly; later in the outbreak, everyone's dead and everything's overrun, so you won't be able to make these things then. Since it's early, there are guaranteed to be huge numbers of living survivors scrambling for their lives all over the globe. You want to splatter the zombies, but not the living folks. A machine can't tell the difference. A human seeing what the machine is "looking" at can. So you need a person in control.

[zombieparanoia]

Something like these?

http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/


but you know with legs.

Maybe legs like these? W1czBcnX1Ww

That would be pretty messed up.

[Eyebiter]

The US is already experimenting with a variety of military robots in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Mostly for IED disposal and recon tasks. While armed robots with a grenade launcher or machine gun have been developed, the tech is still in it's infancy stage.

One concern is danger to operators. Which is why in 2008 the SWORDs robots were removed from Iraq.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/04/killer-ground-b/

This danger isn't uniquely American. Recall back in 2007 nine people died during the test of an automated AAA cannon in South Africa.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/10/robot-cannon-ki/

[krakenslayer]

I wonder what would happen to a seven-hundred or eight-hundred series Terminator in the RotLD world. They are, after all, covered in living tissue, probably including nerve tissue, and we know that this tissue dies and becomes necrotic after sustaining enough damage. So what would happen if the Terminator was exposed to 2-4-5 trioxin?

[Wyldwraith]

I wonder what would happen to a seven-hundred or eight-hundred series Terminator in the RotLD world. They are, after all, covered in living tissue, probably including nerve tissue, and we know that this tissue dies and becomes necrotic after sustaining enough damage. So what would happen if the Terminator was exposed to 2-4-5 trioxin?

Nothing. The flesh would slough off, or maybe cling in rotted/decaying patches to the metal infrastructure beneath. The Terminator is completely cybernetic aside from the "bio-sheath", so the chemical would have no effect beyond making it very clear the Terminator is a Terminator. This is proven by all the Terminators we see in apocalyptic post-Judgment Day scenes that don't have flesh sheathing their metal "chassis."

The Infiltrator Terminator from T: Salvation would die though. Trioxin would stop and rot his heart.

Given the many examples we've been given of what it really takes to neutralize a T-800, you'd just end up with tons of (very efficiently) disabled zombies. The Terminator would simply use its database of anatomical files to determine the most effective means of disabling undead opponents. The Terminators' ability to learn/adapt/improvise would make it the Bogeyman of Zombie-Kind.

Of course, what really matters are the operating directives of Terminators on a case by case basis. A typical, Skynet-directed Terminator would probably ignore any and all ghouls that aren't impeding its efforts. Skynet would probably take the long view, realizing that zombies are no threat to it. Coupled with the realization a zombie apocalypse could be just what the A.I needs post-Judgment Day to complete the global extermination of humanity.

Just my thoughts, IMHO. Your mileage may vary. It's an interesting combination, Terminators and zombies.

[krakenslayer]

Nothing. The flesh would slough off, or maybe cling in rotted/decaying patches to the metal infrastructure beneath. The Terminator is completely cybernetic aside from the "bio-sheath", so the chemical would have effect beyond making it very clear the Terminator is a Terminator.

The Infiltrator Terminator from T: Salvation would die though. Trioxin would stop and rot his heart.


I wasn't thinking it would kill the Terminator, simply that you'd get Terminator surrounded by a sheath of undead flesh, as opposed to it dying and sloughing off.