The Future Technology For Reboots
Our wars used to be fought on foot, but then we harnessed horses for battle.
Swords were our weapon of choice until
guns were invented. Chariots slowly evolved into tanks, and inless than 100 years this [picture of the wright bros],
turned into this [video of as tealth bomber]. But the change that's now underway will be the most significant in
human history, as soldiers from the
worlds richest countries will soon rarely come face to face with their enemies. This is a profile of the robotic
takeover of the worlds militarie .For
years now,
The military of the United States and our closest allies, the Europeans, Israel, and South
Korea have been using a whole range of
robotic systems, like remotely controlled robots, now commonly used for surveillance and for destroying bombs; close-in
weapons systems on board virtually every
ship in the west's Navy can destroy incoming missiles, aircraft and smaller,
faster boats all without human assistance;
autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles guard areas and attack enemies using lethal and non-lethal
weapons;the MQ Reaper Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle is a long-range killer that's so effective, Americas 174th Fighter Wing has became the first squadron in
history to convert from flying fighter jets to an all remotely piloted U AV attack group;the secretive stealth unmanned RQ-170 drone that the US
lost control of over Iran in 2011;tiny
surveillance drones the size of small birds or insects;a robotic, remote-controlled sentry gun that's replacing
human
guards on the South Koreanside of the
demilitarized zone and for Israel, along the Gaza border fence; and the
Protector,an unmanned speed boat used by
the Singapore Navy to patrol the busiest port in the world;the Israeli Navy to enforce its blockade of the Gaza
Strip; and the Mexican Navy to confronthighly creative drug smugglers.Some have called for a halt in the development of military
robotics technology,
but the US,its
allies, and key adversaries continue to make their militaries as technologically
advancedas possible because of the
massive tactical advantage it gives them. The Pentagon currentlydeploys some 11,000 UAVs and 12,000 ground robots
across the world, making America theclear
leader. But China has already demonstrated several prototype systems that may be
justas sophisticated as some in the
American arsenal.
This is setting off a regional arms race of sorts as Japan, South Korea and Singapore feel the
need to respond with signific anti vestments of their own. The Russians have begun deploying armed
robots to increase security at its
ballistic missile bases and may deploy unmanned airships to monitor its
interests in the Arctic.Worldwide, military spending on the robotics industry
is projected to hit $7.5 billion by
2018. But its not just governments doing the investing.
Google has begun buying
uprobotics companies, positioning itself
to dominate the commercial market, estimatedto be worth around $37 billion by 2018. Google - or another tech
company like it - could become the next
generations dominant defense contractor.Some of the projects that we know are in development for military
use and should hit the battlefieldin the
coming years include: the Knife fish, an underwater mines weepingrobot that will replace the Navys trained dolphins
and sea lions in 2017;an unmanned
autonomous helicopter carrying a remotely operated sniper rifle;unmanned ground vehicles of the future will
increasingly perform automated surveillance,reconnaissance, assault and breaching missions. Other UGVs will
simply be retrofits of existinghumvees
and tanks with sensors and cameras; Boston Dynamics humanoid robots -
use for search and rescue - and their
Big Dog robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers into
terrain thats too difficult for conventional vehicles;
unmanned missile barges will provide extraweapons for existing destroyers; cruise missiles that are smart
and network kedto autonomously coordinate
and swarm their attack so as to ensure maximum damage to their target; a Joint Aerial Layer Network will link
allair assets with all other military
assets in a region to provide maximum coordination and efficiency; high-speed, unmanned fighters and
bombers will fly alongside manned
aircraft until they take over the air force completely.
They'll be piloted by soldiers located safely back on a ship,
or on some faraway base;And undetectable
underwater pods will be placed in the ocean weeks, months, or even
years head of time and eventually given
a command to release unmanned submarines or un manne daerial vehicles that will float to the surface and then take to
the air.
The reason that militaries will
turn to robots to fight its battles is obvious: it'll keep their soldiers from getting killed and it will greatly
enhance national security and defense
capabilities. But, like many problems posed by our increasingly technological
world,removing the human connection to
what war viscerally feels like on the ground, where it's being fought, will create a whole new set of challenges.
Many of the American pilots now flying
drone missions in Iraq and Afghanistan already do so from places like Arizona,
faraway from the battlefield, which means
they can bomb a group of people, and then halfan hour later be sitting safely at home with their families.
Its no surprise that this extreme daily
contrast is causing these soldiers to experience high rates of PTSD. Then
there sthe idea that by further removing
the human cost of war from the equation, we risk becoming more tolerant of our governments engaging in armed conflicts. And
then theres theu nknown: what happens
when two nuclear armed states engage in a direct, robots-on-robots battle? How does one win that kind of conflict? And,
when does losing one justify starting war between living, breathing human beings?For better or worse, these are questions were going to learn
the answers to in the first half of the
21st century, so we better get to work creating some agreed-upon
international standards before its too
late.If you enjoyed this video, hit that
like button or share it to start your own conversation.
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