Robot Warfare: Just Another Form of Outsourcing

The subject of robotics in warfare is one that has captured the imaginations of book readers and moviegoers alike as far back as the 19^th century. However, World War II broke the fiction barrier with the introduction of the first functional combat robots, such as the Germans’ remote-operated demolition bots or the Soviets’ teletanks. Since that time, technology has continued to progress with the commonly publicized Unmanned Arial Vehicles (“UAVs” or “drones”) or the demolition robots used to disarm various explosives (see The Hurtlocker). While there are many ethical arguments exploring their controversial uses, the technology is here to stay as the U.S. Military is investing heavily in research and development of increasingly automated systems. Even private companies are getting involved, bringing visions of Ironman to the forefront; the Atlas, developed by Boston Dynamics, is the first in what is sure to be a long line of future “Robo Sapiens.”

Boston Dynamics' Atlas Robot

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• One of the most advanced drones that is currently in use by the U.S. Army is the X-47. This drone is able to take-off, fly, sail, and land on an aircraft without any human assistance. Before you start freaking out and moving to an island, we have to say that the "good thing" about this drone (besides being able to do reconnaissance and identify targets) is that the X-47 is not built to kill anyone; in fact, it is not even weaponized.

R. Kelly's Already Working on a Song About This

• Despite what science fiction is predicting, today war robots are just complex robotic-weapons controlled by a human. These warriors are not capable of making decisions or acting on their own. Having a Terminator on the battlefield, fighting side by side (or against) a human soldier raises a lot of ethical and philosophical controversy. Can a robot decide to kill someone? Do robots have malice or hatred? Who is responsible for a murderous robot?

Why Couldn't They Have Sent In the Drones?

• Now, things are starting to change; autonomous robots are coming. PackBot, one of the famous bomb diffuser robots that has been deployed in more than 30 countries, is getting an update that will allow it to make decisions alone in certain situations such as following GPS points on a map or going back to its controller after loosing contact. These are small steps in creating a real Skynet, but some experts think that the slow progress is due to people's resistance of an autonomous robot in this field. Everyone from NGOs such as Stop Killing Robots to members of government armies have expressed their concern about this topic.

Does This Mean We Could Be Out of a Job Too?

• Some examples of what robots can do today in the field are Samsung’s SGR1 (developed in South Korea and able to recognize a human and use a machine gun), Boston Dynamic’s walking dogs, and bomb detectors and flying drones made by a variety of companies. None of them have real artificial intelligence yet, but this is definitely a preview of what is waiting for us in the future. We don’t know if we are scared or excited about all this, but changes are on their way regardless.

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• A boy paralized from the waist down walks on a football field and kicks a ball with its own feet. Impossible? Not anymore. A young Brazilian boy is supposed to do exactly that. He is supposed to kick-off the first ball at the Football World Championship in Brazil in 2014 supported by so-called “mind-controlled leg armour”.  This means that motorized metal braces will support and bend the boys legs steered by devices plugged directly into the brain, stabilized by gyroscopes and powered by a battery pack carried around in a backpack. Additional electrodes placed into the brain will even relay a feeling of pressure when each foot touches the ground. This is only a small step (no pun intended) from warfare development.

This?

Or This?

It's easy to theorize and fantasize about what could come from combining weapons and artificial intelligence but at this point all that's needed is a short wait. From giving humans new killing tools to having fully automated, self-reliant beings, robotics in warfare is expanding at as a rapid a pace as Schwarzenegger's biceps in the 1970s. It's only a matter of time before Arnold himself weighs in on the matter, maybe rehashing a few of his nightmares from his Terminator days.

"I have a love interest in every one of my films: a gun"