Sunday, September 21, 2008

Military robot

Military robots are autonomous or remote-controlled devices designed for military applications.

Such systems are currently being researched by a number of militaries. Already remarkable success has been achieved with unmanned aerial vehicles like the Predator drone, which are capable of taking surveillance photographs, and even accurately launching missiles at ground targets, without a pilot. A subclass of these are Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles, which are designed to carry out strike missions in combat.

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[edit] History and Development

The combat version of the Foster-Miller TALON, SWORDS.
The combat version of the Foster-Miller TALON, SWORDS.

Broadly defined, military robots date back to World War II and the Cold War in the form of the German Goliath tracked mines and the Soviet teletanks. However, these were simple and made little real impact on the war. It was not until the war in Afghanistan and the Second Iraq War that military robots became more than a footnote. Since then, they advanced rapidly. Defense contractors in the USA are hard at work developing autonomous "robot soldiers", but most current models look more like tanks than humans. There are problems with threat recognition and response; some models will not shoot cows with guerillas crouched behind them, but will fire at anything stenciled with an AK-47 silhouette.

In December 2003, the Associated Press reported that The Pentagon had purchased several Segways, as part of a research program called "Mobile Autonomous Robot Software", an attempt to develop more advanced military robots.

[edit] Examples of systems in development

  • US Mechatronics has produced a working automated sentry gun and is currently developing it further for commercial and military use.[2]
  • MIDARS, a four-wheeled robot outfitted with several cameras, radar, and possibly a firearm, that automatically performs random or preprogrammed patrols around a military base or other government installation. It alerts a human overseer when it detects movement in unauthorized areas, or other programmed conditions. The operator can then instruct the robot to ignore the event, or take over remote control to deal with an intruder, or to get better camera views of an emergency. The robot would also regularly scan radio frequency identification tags (RFID) placed on stored inventory as it passed and report any missing items.
  • US scientists at MIT are known to be "looking into building a mechanical super-fighter... able to heal his own wounds, leap buildings, deflect bullets and even become invisible" which "won't be ready for at least 10 years."[3]
  • Tactical Autonomous Combatant (TAC) units, described in Project Alpha study 'Unmanned Effects: Taking the Human out of the Loop' - TAC robots are seen as being faster and more lethal than human soldiers, and able to work in more hazardous environments. This study, which was done in 2003, saw TACs as a reality by 2025.
  • ARV
  • ACER
  • ARTS

[edit] Systems in current use

Foster-Miller TALON SWORDS units equipped with various weaponry.
Foster-Miller TALON SWORDS units equipped with various weaponry.

[edit] Issues

There are many advantages in robotic technology in warfare however, as outlined by Major Kenneth Rose of the US Army's Training and Doctrine Command[3]: "Machines don't get tired. They don't close their eyes. They don't hide under trees when it rains and they don't talk to their buddies ... A human's attention to detail on guard duty drops dramatically in the first 30 minutes ... Machines know no fear."

[edit] Fiction

Military robots are common in fiction of all media.

[edit] Film

[edit] Near future

Land models

Air Models

[edit] High futurist

Humanoids

Androids

Other Designs

Powered Exoskeletons

  • Matrix Revolutions (2003) - APU (Armored Personnel Unit)
  • Aliens (1986) - Caterpillar Power Loaders J-5000 (Mechanized Exosuits; these aren't intended for fighting, being designed for handling heavy cargo; however they are used for combat in the film)
  • Iron Man (2008) - Iron Man Suit (Powered exoskeleton)
  • M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) - M.A.N.T.I.S. (Mechanically Augmented Neuro-Transmitter Interactive System)

[edit] Television

[edit] Literature

[edit] Computer games

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