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Weaponized Robots Could Take Point In Future Military Ops
Lucas123 writes "This past week at Ft. Benning, weaponized robot prototypes from four robotics companies — Northrop Grumman, HDT Robotics, iRobot Corp. and QinetiQ — demonstrated their abilities to traverse rugged terrain, fire machine guns and take out pop-up targets from a distance of 150 meters. 'They're not just tools, but members of the squad. That's the goal,' said Lt. Col. Willie Smith, chief of Unmanned Ground Vehicles at Fort Benning. For example, the Northrup Grumman's CaMEL (Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover) can run for 24 hours on three-and-a-half gallons of fuel, and can be equipped with a grenade launcher, an automatic weapon and anti-tank missiles. The CaMEL also can identify targets from three-and-a-half kilometers away, using a daylight telescope or thermal imaging. The robots have also demonstrated their ability to be air dropped behind enemy lines or into remote terrain."
I usually find LMGTFY a bit obnoxious, but in this case it is the top hit for "take point". Goodness.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
I mean it seems to me this is the surest way to prevent weaponized robots killing people in the next peace exercise sanctioned by our noble human leaders.
I for one ... oh forget it.
I usually find LMGTFY a bit obnoxious, but in this case it is the top hit for "take point". Goodness.
Sometimes, obnoxious is appropriate.
Like when someone disproves the axiom that there are no dumb questions by demanding the world hold his useless damn dick because he's too lazy and stupid to figure something out on his own.
When can we expect the release of the model 101 series 800 to be released? Somewhere in the next decade perhaps?
And so it begins...has Skynet finally arrived? :)
It's time to develop some serious long range, portable EMP capabilities. Otherwise we are in deep doo-doo.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
What does this even mean?
Obviously, it's a reference to use of robots in sexual encounters (but not in the Japanese way). From the Urban Dictionary definition of point man:
"When going out with a group of male friends with the intent of picking up women together, the point man is the friend that will always jump on the hand grenade, while the wing man's responsibility is to distract the cock blocker friend."
So the robot is to be the point man, while someone else (presumably you) pick up the girl. You might need a second robot as the wing man, of course.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
Great for the ones leading the robots, whether it be governments, corporations or lords.
Crappy for whomever they are sent against as they will not disobey orders.... Whether they be American citizens, homeless people, freedom fighters etc...
Sorry, but as much as I like the thought of taking people out of harms way, the potential for abuse here far outstrips any gain we could possibly have for it. So long as they know a huge portion of the military will refuse to do some things, it restrains the ones giving orders, as soon as they know they will follow all orders, no matter how fucked up, and never disobey or defect, the sociopaths of the world with power can get REALLY creative then....
Implant a small explosive charge and when their regular ammunition is expended, the operator can initiate a 'kamikaze' maneuver. No retreat for robots! They'll gladly die for their makers.
our killing machines already often target innocents, we bomb people who did not attack us, our land mines and cluster bomblets kill innocents years after a conflict over.
I'm sure that using robots against opponents will in now way build resentment and hatred for the United States, who is more than willing to sacrifice others in their wars, but has no taste for putting their own lives on the line for their beliefs.
This may win the US battles, but it's going to lose the war on building any sustainable relationships with other cultures.
These are not what everyone is imagining. The Nazis did this 60 years ago.
The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
It means most people today not only aren't veterans but don't even know one.
Apparently, someone has not see the "The Terminator" series, "Screamers," etc.
It's the future and whining about it is no different than whining about the advent of the rifle or the machine gun or the bow. Your taking the fight away from the human being through a layer of abstraction to keep your soldier alive. The layer of abstraction in this case happens to be a robot, once upon a time it was a gun or a bow.
The people complaining about this are really no different than the Luddites that think warfare should be conduced hand to hand with swords and maces. They wont be satisfied unless their own soldiers are getting killed on the battlefield too. Technology advances whether you want it to or not. Change and human nature are the only things that stay the same.
Wonder if the prohibitions in the Geneva Convention will even be heeded.
Obligatory?
---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
I just realized that in some parts of the world, there is a very real threat of being killed by robots.
on civilians i hope somebody builds some RFI or EMP weapons to defend against them, i would gladly fry the circuits on robots roaming the streets in my neighborhood
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
Oh yeah someone has to repair them.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
From the comments, sounds like what everyone wants is for the US to stop developing robotic weapon systems. This will let Iran, North Korea and Taliban to develop these first and then we can play catch up 20 years behind them. Playing catch is so much fun. Weapon development must be a US monopoly ?
Increasing killing efficiency to save lives. The irony is over the top. All sides taken into account, we will not be satisfied as a species until every last human is dead. At least then we will have lasting peace and equality.
Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
They should also have the right to not join the army if they so choose.
Individual rights should be granted to all sentient beings.
People won't think twice about lighting their metal asses up. If anyone has any reservations about retaliating against a human oppressor now(they are just doing their jobs etc....) , that will all be removed from the equation. Hell, some people would even view that as 'fun'.
Who controls the weaponized robots controls the world.
It means most people today not only aren't veterans but don't even know one.
In the current time of the all-volunteer armed forces, most veterans are people
from the lower strata of society ( or idiots from a higher strata ) so there's not
much point in "knowing" a veteran.
I walked point outside of Da Nang, after I was drafted into the army.
So I know what walking point is. But I also know what a loser who joins
the army because it's the only job he or she can get is, and in most cases
these people are ignorant uneducated dopes who aren't worth knowing.
By the way, fuck your "patriotism" in advance. A real patriot knows the US .2% ( for example, the
needs to quit messing around in other countries when those countries have
not attacked the US. It is a waste of resources and there are far more efficient
means by which to secure access to the resources which are the reason the US
is messing around in those countries to begin with ( as you know if you are not an
idiot ). All this crap about "Al Quaeda" is just a lame bullshit LIE and excuse to get
morons to go along with the game plan hatched by the
Project for a New American Century ).
why isn't this modded up? Did the ultra-right wing idiots get control here too?
Only I can judge you.
We have a rule in the US that a human must make the final call before delivering any ordinance, be it by soldier, drone, or robot. The problem is that many foreign countries that figure this out won't have this moral impediment. Yes, this is worth worrying about...
I hate being bipolar; it's awesome!
they're pretty impressive. if the price isn't too steep i'd like to pick up 5 or 6 for home security.
Our future wars will resemble StarCraft tournaments
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
the point man walks several meters out in front of everyone else and is likely to be the first one to encounter enemy soldiers.
It seems this StarCraft tactic is actually used in prace, even the fact that I also sacrifice a marine for this because robotic units are more expensive.
And 20 years after this, open-source robots with freely-available source code, printable body parts, and off-the-shelf electronics, put out like popcorn. Is this the destiny for most of humanity -- the boot stepping on a human face...forever -- is a cheap robot run by the dictator and his cabal?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
We have a rule in the US that a human must make the final call before delivering any ordinance, be it by soldier, drone, or robot. The problem is that many foreign countries that figure this out won't have this moral impediment. Yes, this is worth worrying about...
Having a human making the call is not enough, if take your soldiers out of the battlefield you don't have a reason to use lethal force anymore.
The use of lethal force in only acceptable because the alternative is that the enemy kills you. But if you deploy a robot, the alternative is that the enemy destroys
an expensive piece of hardware. You no longer have a valid reason to employ lethal force, once you deploy robots.
The thing I don't get is why there's all this research into killer robots... They're useless, as is drones are used for assassinations, I'm sorry I don't hear many
US allies backing the US on that policy. Using them on the ground won't win you anything but further alienation from your European allies.
I don't get why the US is so focused on killing, that's not the goal, we're involved in a different kind of conflicts, they require non-lethal weapons, and sure if we can keep humans out of it, I'm all pro that... but you shouldn't shoot somebody for throwing rocks at $ 10k robot, if there's no humans on the line it's just mallice, not warfare!
By the way, fuck your "patriotism" in advance.
Sorry about your sensitivity, but you illustrate my point. When you were drafted, everybody in the crosshairs of the SSS either became a veteran or knew someone who did, and we weren't sheltered from what was going on; today military service is something you can see in the movies if you feel like it. Patriotism has nothing to do with ignorance.
Whoever rules the skies, rules the Battlefield.
Unfortunately, we haven't got a clone army to counter the threat.
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
'Grats on coming back. I'm not gonna get into 'the real reason' kind of thing, but agree there's a bunch of lame b.s. going down.
Sad that so many are so ignorant of things military so as to not know what 'taking point' means. Christ, does no one read any more? Or at least know how to search for a word or term?
They should call them SHIVs and be done with it. That's exactly what the description is about: robots that are part of the squad and act upon orders from the squad leader.
I was eyes wide reading the list of companies involved in this story, alas no Boston Dynamics with their prestigious DARPA funding. Let me know when they've put a gun in Petman's http://tinyurl.com/3ombduo hands and have him on the battle field.
that's some awesumm news
and finding sarah connor.
I joined the Army because i wanted to (this was pre-9/11). I now write software at double the State's average income. I accept that most people think that soldiers are stupid. I think those people are ill-informed. I met some incredibly sharp people during my time there. But i do feel that the good ones don't stay long. It is incredibly taxing for people who think about consequences (both future and past). It takes a certain level of insensitivity to thrive as a soldier. I enjoyed the suck, tolerated the bullshit, but barely coped with mission failure. Sometimes you can make all the right moves and still lose.
The US Army you knew and the one that stands today are very different. I'd even say that the US Army changed drastically from 2001 to present. It doesn't want thick-skull yes-men to pull triggers. It wants ALL types of people. Diversity has turned out to be a huge asset. You need thinkers, doers, builders, nice people, and even mean people. Everyone brings useful perspectives, skills, and ideas, there is no need to fit everyone into the same mold. The Army is a lot more tolerant of some things and completely intolerant of others. Racism and drugs are not tolerated. Sexism is something they still struggle with though. This new breed of soldier treats their work like it is a profession, not just a job or career to pay the bills. Don't get me wrong though, there are a bunch of people who don't give a shit about the Army or even the US. For some it is just a paycheck. But who do you think gets the promotion? The guy/gal who is going through the motions or the guy/gal who studies and has military hobbies (shooting, running, engineering)?
TL:DR - your past experiences are no longer relevant to today's veterans. Also, M16 variants are actually reliable rifles now. Amazing, i know : )
http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
Storytime!
My friend was at his friend's house back in 1990, when their dad came home. My friend noticed something on his tie, and it was a microchip. My friend was-and still is-really into computers, so he asked about it. The gentleman explained that it was a 250 megabyte memory chip.
Once again, a 250 megabyte chip, back in 1990.
He explained that they had a failure rate of 90%, and that most of them were simply blowing up the moment they were powered up. And indeed, the one on his tie had a small burn hole in the back, hence it's retasking as a tie clip.
The question you all need to be worried about, is: "What happened to the 10% that survived????"
What project did they end up in? How long did they have chips with a 100% success rate before they were released to the public? I mean, look at TEMPEST? It wasn't until 1985 that the non-military scientific sector was even made aware of it.
Did you think that the 1960 Monty Python sketch, "Fish License" mentioning the "Cat Detector Van" came out of the blue? They were poking fun at the TV Detector Vans, which everyone thought was ludicrous. But what we were not told, is that those vans are driving around, with their equipment tuned to the same oscillation frequency of the electron gun in the cathode ray tubes.
TV detectors in 1960.
So. Here we have a nice, public show with all kinds of clunky, ker-bonky, teeter-totter, weeble-wobble toys that look like they came out of a K'nex kit at Toys-r-Us.
Meanwhile, in some nondescript building in Reston Virginia, a group of researchers are laughing about this video/story while they wait for US Navy nukes with TS-SCI clearances to replace the Plutonium power core in the android that looks like something out of a Battlestar Galactica / Terminator cross-over.
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