The Gears of War

The Crusher is a new remote-controlled heavy warfare battle vehicle, designed to smash through enemy territory and defenses. Clad in seemingly impervious armor, potentially bristling with weapons, and essentially expendable (though I imagine the price tag isn't really so), it just might be one of the most helpful Urban Warfare tools out there. What's really interesting, though, is how the robot's controlled. Remotely, operators control The Crusher using an Xbox 360 Controller and a hacked version of an Iphone.

...Huh?

This makes a lot of sense though. Costs are often a function of time; by capitalizing off of the easily-usable 360 controller, your younger soldiers will have little necessary adaptation time. They'll be off fighting terrorists with your robotic abortion of life and death sooner, and you'll be spending less on remote peripheral systems thanks to an equally horrifying combination of a 360 controller and an iPod. Everyone walks away happy.

I think that the relationship between military technology and video games is somewhat similar to that of science fiction and applied technology. The lessons we've learned in UI design, programming, algorithms, and game strategy can easily be applied in a combat setting towards more efficient fighting tools and methods. Likewise, a little government investment in the capitol-rich video game sector can't hurt. Everyone gains.