Slashdot Mirror
S. Korea Considers Using Armed Robots Along DMZ
Slicker writes "S. Korea and N. Korea (aka the ROK and DPRK, respectively) share the most heavily fortified border that has ever existed. Now the ROK is considering deployment of armed robots." Not expected until sometime in the 2010s. From the article: "Robots with weapons mounted on their frames are each expected to be able to observe from 2 and 1 kilometers during the day and night, respectively, and will have the capability to record voices and take pictures in a 180-degree circle."
From the article:
Remote-control sounds fine, but automatically? Do we have software capable of reliably distingushing between a civilian and an enemy combatant (at least as well as a human soldier can, anyway...)?
Doesn't sound like the best of ideas. Also from the article:
Seems to me that the South Koreans might be better off upgrading their fences and perimeters (proven technology) than putting their faith in autonomous killer robots (unproven, scary, incredibly risky sci-fi technology).
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
"The battles of the future will not be fought on a battleground or at sea, they will be fought in space. Or at the top of a very tall mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by small robots. And as you go forward today, your duty is clear, to build and maintain those robots. Thank you."
You can't handle the truth.
"will have the capability to record voices and take pictures in a 180-degree circle."
Screw the armed robots, I just wanna see how they pulled this off!
Johnny Five unavailable for comment.
quote......Robots with weapons mounted on their frames...
Robot:YOU have 20 seconds to comply
man: "What the!?!? But wait... I'm friendly..."
Robot:YOU have 15 seconds to comply
man: $&$&#%!!!!! Okay okay I have my hands up
Robot:YOU have 10 seconds to comply
man: TURN IT OFF!!!
Robot:5,4,3...
The DMZ is a wildlife paradise --- hopefully the wildlife is not extinguished by armedbots because the wildlife merely moves throughout the DMZ. I would like to see the armedbots recognize the difference between human and animal before going robocop.
"There ought to be limits to freedom"
Now I am aware of how hostile those two nations are but I mean comon, once both sides have robots, what next?
Bigger robots
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
...South Korean Zergling Rush?
Eh.
Anything that will ease tensions between North and South Korea is fine with me.
I think killer robot patrols are a great start, personally.
"The robots will be remote controlled," said the South Korean ministry of defense. "Thus allowing for operational efficiencies far beyond what is possible today."
A reporter raises his hand. "You mean, you're setting up remote call centers?"
"Yes, we're outsourcing to China. There, thousands of workers costing us just pennies a day will patrol our borders with giant armed robots, thus fulfilling our defense needs and the needs of the Chinese population as expressed through their arts and animation."
"Any word on the North Korean Reaction?"
"Yes, and this brings better news." interjects the Ministry of Finance. "North Korea has decided to setup their own robot army and, being years behind everyone else, has decided to outsource to us for their remote defense needs. Now we could simply take their billions of pounds of rice and make a tidy profit," said the Ministry of Finance, "but South Korea is the most advanced nation in the world. We have decided to setup an online community of people willing to pay for the priviledge of protecting a theoretical Kingdom from invading barbarians, inside of a communial, multiplayer environment."
"A Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game?"
"Yes, a MMPORPG. A MMPORPG so grand it will make Lineage look like Everquest."
Everyone in the room laughs, except for the American who looks confused.
"And you too for just 15 dollars a month can be the last line of defense against a rampaging horde of demons. They're very expensive demons, funded by Satan himself. Demons who want to ravage your women, kill your pets, and give you low-paying jobs without benefits while preventing unionization.
"As border skirmishes are rare, won't this game be incredibly boring?"
"People pay to play Star Wars Galaxies, don't they?"
The ______ Agenda
One problem though. N. Korea is not democratic. So the power of the entire country and it's militery might is in the hands of a few people.
/British/Italian/etc. people not wanting military used against Iraq (for example)? Get real, in democracy is military also in control of few people. You don't put top generals in place if they're not "your men". Anywhere.
I always wanted to understand something.
What is the difference of N. Korean people not wanting military to be used against S. Korea (for example), and Spanish
What does democracy have to do with it, when in democracy it all takes one prime minister to decide military goes to Iraq - and thing is done.
Agreed. Perhaps many Slashdot readers don't really understand what the DMZ is like. In the 1980s and 90s, live ambushes were a fact of life along the DMZ (they may still be, but I'm no longer in the Army so I don't have inside info about it). The North Koreans for decades have poked and prodded the border: They've sent infiltrators into South Korea, have created elaborate tunnel systems below the DMZ, and attempted to assassinate the South Korean president, among other provocations. Troops stationed along the DMZ for good reason keep an extraordinarily high state of readiness. Over 100 Americans have died along the DMZ since the armstice (I don't have figures for South Korean soldiers).
So while from the comfort of Ft. Livingroom, it's easy to say that using armed robots to patrol the DMZ is a bad idea, the soldiers on the ground are probably pretty happy about the notion. That's not to say that the robots will work as advertised, or that they should replace existing defenses. The South Korean government may be motivated by cost considerations, but if the end result is that fewer South Korean soldiers are likely to die in the line of duty, it seems worth trying out some form of automated defense.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hi roshima_and_Nagasaki
Others contend that Japan had been trying to surrender for at least two months, but the US refused by insisting on an unconditional surrender--which they did not get even after the bombing, the bone of contention being retention of the Emperor.[13] (http://www.nuclearfiles.org/hitimeline/1945.html) In fact, while several diplomats favored surrender, the leaders of the Japanese military were committed to fighting a 'Decisive Battle' on Kyushu, hoping that they could negotiate better terms for an armistice afterward--all of which the Americans knew from reading decrypted Japanese communications. The Japanese government never did decide what terms, beyond preservation of an imperial system, they would have accepted to end the war; as late as August 9, the Supreme Council was still split, with the hardliners insisting Japan should demobilize its own forces, no war crimes trials, and no occupation. Only the direct intervention of the Emperor ended the dispute, and even after that a military coup was attempted to prevent the surrender (although it was easily suppressed).