Robohub.org
 

The inevitable conflict?

by
14 March 2013



share this:

Wonder_Stories_October_1931Study the past if you would define the future. – Confucius

War will always have a human element. Robots will be tools in future conflicts, just as they (and other technologies) have been in the past. To understand how robot use will evolve militarily, it is healthy to look back at history.

Change is hard for militaries. Billy Mitchell showed the vulnerability of battleships to aircraft, but militaries were still building battleships decades later. Tanks were used as infantry support in World War I. In WW II, some countries adapted better than others. As the US military began developing missiles, pilots believed they should drive the missiles, others thought differently (see Sidewinder for a great background of the difficulties in military acquisition — it’s only gotten worse since then).

Mobile robots represent another potential revolutionary change in warfare technology.

For change to happen in any organization, its leaders must embrace it.

For change to happen in any organization, its leaders must embrace it. Moffett did with aircraft carriersEisenhower and Patten did it with maneuver warfare, and Rickover did it with nuclear submarines. So where is the US military with robotics (my background is limited to USA and mainly maritime)? Who are the leaders?

Despite over 100 years of research and development and decades of use in military situations, the US has not had a strong senior leader fully embrace robots. ADM Roughead did a good job, but he only pushed for air and underwater, not replacements for the Navy’s most sacred cows: surface warships. The Air Force hasn’t embraced UAS easily and looks to be going down a bad path. The DARPA LS3 program, “Big Dog”, makes for great video clips, but what’s it used for? Infantry support. Déjà vu?

Recent combat experience has offered a large number of service men and women firsthand experience of robot capabilities, but it will be another five to ten years before any are senior leaders. Bottom line: don’t expect mobile robots to revolutionize warfare in the foreseeable future unless an adversary adapts quickly.

How could a robotic military future look? On the maritime side, the DARPA TEMP and ACTUV programs are a good start. Navy UCLASS is a step towards aircraft carrier obsolescence, and Admiral Moffett would be proud.

The effect that robots will have as tools of war is minimal compared to the effect robots will have on society and how these societal changes will change the nature or need for war.

And the Navy LDUUV is a good step forward in undersea warfare. Between these programs and similar future investments, the entire US Navy could be unmanned in 25 years.

The inevitable conflict?
The effect that robots will have as tools of war is minimal compared to the effect robots will have on society and how these societal changes will change the nature or need for war. Predicting these effects would make a great topic for a future Robotics By Invitation discussion. I tend to agree with Dr. Susan Calvin, Isaac Asimov‘s chief robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc. about the Inevitable Conflict between man and machine. Want to know more? Read the book! Continued learning may be the only thing keeping you ahead in the race against the machine.

(Photo credit: Ross Huggett)



tags: , , , ,


Chris Mailey is the Vice President for Knowledge Resources at AUVSI, wherein he leads a small research team developing new products to support the robotics community.
Chris Mailey is the Vice President for Knowledge Resources at AUVSI, wherein he leads a small research team developing new products to support the robotics community.





Related posts :



Robot Talk Episode 91 – John Leonard

In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to John Leonard from Massachusetts Institute of Technology about autonomous navigation for underwater vehicles and self-driving cars. 
27 September 2024, by

Interview with Jerry Tan: Service robot development for education

We find out about the Jupiter2 platform and how it can be used in educational settings.
18 September 2024, by

#RoboCup2024 – daily digest: 21 July

In the last of our digests, we report on the closing day of competitions in Eindhoven.
21 July 2024, by and

#RoboCup2024 – daily digest: 20 July

In the second of our daily round-ups, we bring you a taste of the action from Eindhoven.
20 July 2024, by and

#RoboCup2024 – daily digest: 19 July

Welcome to the first of our daily round-ups from RoboCup2024 in Eindhoven.
19 July 2024, by and

Robot Talk Episode 90 – Robotically Augmented People

In this special live recording at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Claire chatted to Milia Helena Hasbani, Benjamin Metcalfe, and Dani Clode about robotic prosthetics and human augmentation.
21 June 2024, by





Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2024 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2021 - ROBOTS Association