Future Military Robots, Explained // New Robot Makes Soldiers Obsolete // New Robot Can Now Fight Back!

Future Military Robots:

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 in less than 100 years this [picture of the wrightbros], turned into this [video of a stealth bomber]. But the change that’s nowunderway will be the most significant in human history, as soldiers from the world’s richestcountries will soon rarely come face to face with their enemies. This is a profile of therobotic takeover of the world’s militaries. 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, likeremotely controlled robots, now commonly used for surveillance and for destroying bombs;close-in weapons systems onboard virtually every ship in the west’s Navy can destroyincoming missiles, aircraft and smaller, faster boats all without human assistance;autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles guard areas and attack enemies using lethal andnon-lethal weapons; the MQ Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is along-range killer that’s so effective, America’s 174th Fighter Wing has became the first squadronin history to convert from flying fighter jets to an all–remotely piloted UAV attackgroup; the secretive stealth unmanned RQ-170 dronethat the US lost control of over Iran in 2011; tiny surveillance drones the size of smallbirds or insects; a robotic, remote-controlled sentry gun that’sreplacing human guards on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone and for Israel,along the Gaza border fence; and the Protector, an unmanned speed boat used by the SingaporeNavy to patrol the busiest port in the world; the Israeli Navy to enforce its blockade ofthe Gaza Strip; and the Mexican Navy to confront highly creative drug smugglers. 

Some have called for a halt in the developmentof military robotics technology, but the US, its allies, and key adversaries continue tomake their militaries as technologically advanced as possible because of the massive tacticaladvantage it gives them. The Pentagon currently deploys some 11,000 UAVs and 12,000 groundrobots across the world, making America the clear leader. But China has already demonstratedseveral prototype systems that may be just as sophisticated as some in the American arsenal.This is setting off a regional arms race of sorts as Japan, South Korea and Singaporefeel the need to respond with significant investments of their own. The Russians havebegun deploying armed robots to increase security at its ballistic missile bases and may deployunmanned airships to monitor its interests in the Arctic. Worldwide, military spending on the roboticsindustry is projected to hit $7.5 billion by 2018. But its not just governments doingthe investing. Google has begun buying up robotics companies, positioning itself todominate the commercial market, estimated to be worth around $37 billion by 2018. 

Google- or another tech company like it - could become the next generation’s dominant defensecontractor. Some of the projects that we know are in developmentfor military use and should hit the battlefield in the coming years include:the Knifefish, an underwater minesweeping robot that will replace the Navy’s traineddolphins and sea lions in 2017; an unmanned autonomous helicopter carryinga remotely operated sniper rifle; unmanned ground vehicles of the future willincreasingly perform automated surveillance, reconnaissance, assault and breaching missions.

 

Other UGVs will simply be retrofits of existing humvees and tanks with sensors and cameras;Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robots - used for search and rescue - and their BigDog roboticpack mule to accompany soldiers into terrain that’s too difficult for conventional vehicles;unmanned missile barges will provide extra weapons for existing destroyers;cruise missiles that are smart and networked to autonomously coordinate and swarm theirattack so as to ensure maximum damage to their target;a Joint Aerial Layer Network will link all air assets with all other military assetsin a region to provide maximum coordination and efficiency;high-speed, unmanned fighters and bombers will fly alongside manned aircraft until theytake over the air force completely. They’ll be piloted by soldiers located safely backon a ship, or on some faraway base; And undetectable underwater pods will be placedin the ocean weeks, months, or even years ahead of time and eventually given a commandto release unmanned submarines or unmanned aerial vehicles that will float to the surfaceand then take to the air. The reason that militaries will turn to robotsto fight its battles is obvious: it’ll keep their soldiers from getting killed and itwill 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, far away from the battlefield, which means they can bomb a group of people, and then half an hour later be sitting safely at home with their families. It’s no surprise that this extreme daily contrast is causing these soldiersto experience high rates of PTSD. Then there’s the idea that by further removing the humancost of war from the equation, we risk becoming more tolerant of our governments engagingin armed conflicts. And then there’s the unknown: what happens when two nuclear armedstates engage in a direct, robots-on-robots battle? How does one win that kind of conflict?And, when does losing one justify starting a war between living, breathing human beings?  

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