

It looks like the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems initiative, a program that aims to use high-tech items like sensors, aerial drones, and unmanned robots to help the troops do battle more safely, thinks pretty highly of the Xbox 360's controller. This robot in this picture is an SUGV (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle), and the controller in the soldier's right hand sure does look awfully familiar. Another shot is after the jump.



It actually makes sense to base such tech on gaming controllers. With two joysticks, a D-pad, six buttons and four triggers (more or less, depending on the controller in question), a PS2 or 360 controller offers a lot of control options, and most soldiers will already have at least a passing familiarity with the design, which could save a great deal of valuable training time.

Photos: The Army's vision for soldier tech [ZDnet, via Technabob]