Giant Robots! Smart Handguns!
Technology roundup via Engadget and Warren Ellis' Die Puny Humans. The giant robot crafters at Tmsuk have created the Enryu rescue robot which is intended to act as a rescue beast, being quite able to lift a half ton in either hand. Dottocomu has links to several movie files of the monstrocity in action.
Now, some will cry that such mechanical beast could be turned to EVIL, but Warren Ellis has a note today about Metal Storm's new Vle weapon (click here for an article discussing said gun) -- the Variable Lethality Enforcement weapon. The gun is capable of firing both lethal and non-lethal projectiles and, since it is more electronic parts than moving parts, it can interface with a number of other intelligent systems. The Vle's big brother, by the way, can file up to a million rounds a minute.
My inital thought had been that a million round a minute weapon could certainly stop an EVIL Enryu in its tracks, but it occurs to me as I write this that an Enryu is a perfect candidate for an unmanned assault vehicle. In fact, we could end up with EVIL Enryus outfitted with Vle guns, bent on DESTRUCTION.
Fortunately, it looks like you only need a car door to stop an Enryu in its tracks.