Robots Go to War [In 10 years, soldiers will go into battle with autonomous vehicles close behind]

Popular Science ^ | Preston Lerner

[John Jorsett]

Within 10 years, infantry soldiers will go into battle with autonomous robots close behind them. One day, they'll be fighting side-by-side.

The squat, four-wheeled Robot driving itself through densely wooded terrain looks too macho to be cute, but it's too small to be threatening (picture a cross between R2-D2 and a Jeep). "You start to associate personalities with each of them," says Mark Del Giorno, of his 'bots. But still, Del Giorno, the vice president for engineering at General Dynamics Robotic Systems, which built this machine for the Army, insists that he doesn't anthropomorphize his robots: "You realize that the ‘personality' comes from, say, the steering being a little loose. I guess I'm too close to the code to think of them as people."

[snip]

We could be at the dawn of a golden age of military UGVs. According to the 2001 Defense Authorization Act, one third of all operational ground vehicles are supposed to be unmanned by 2015. Therefore, the Department of Defense's ambitious Future Combat Systems (FCS) program calls for the development of three semiautonomous UGVs that can perform certain tasks entirely on their own, and others—firing weapons is the biggie—only while being operated by a soldier. The runt of this FCS litter is the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle. Weighing less than 30 pounds, it will be carried in a backpack and used like a disposable scout. It's designed for high-risk missions in urban environments, such as searching through sewers and dealing with toxic chemicals. Bigger jobs are left to the Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment vehicle, which will travel with infantry units carrying supplies. The third FCS robot, the five-ton Armed Robotic Vehicle, will pack a machine gun, an automatic cannon and beyond-line-of-sight missiles—all remotely operated. In short, a bristling 'bot with a nasty bite.

[BikerNYC]

...soldiers will go into battle with autonomous vehicles close behind.

Strike that. Reverse it.

[Recovering Hermit]

Strike that. Reverse it.

Makes sense. Send the metal in first. I wouldn't want some mindless robot with large guns shooting from behind me.

I don't care who's driving.

[cd jones]

YES, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY WILL LOOK LIKE (MPG MOVIE)

http://www.missilesandfirecontrol.com/our_products/groundvehiclesystems/MULE/MULE.mpg

[big'ol_freeper]

PIng

[Dave Elias]

Mmmm I can picture it now..

"You have 20 seconds to comply...."

[operation clinton cleanup]

According to the 2001 Defense Authorization Act, one third of all operational ground vehicles are supposed to be unmanned by 2015

1/3 sounds like a huge leap in the next 10 years.

[Borges]

The word Allah is not in my Memory Bank...

[cd jones]

Lockheed & BAE have released RFPs (request for proposals) for the components already.

[Names Ash Housewares]

[Alex Murphy]

According to the 2001 Defense Authorization Act, one third of all operational ground vehicles are supposed to be unmanned by 2015.

When do they send in the UCAVs?

[untrained skeptic]

More likely is that the robots will be going in and the soldiers will be as safe as possible behind the lines controlling or directing them by remote.

[Flavius]

there goes your 2nd cant stop a robot with .308 probably not even with super charged .50

[seowulf]

In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created 'THE TERMINATOR'

The thing that won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.

Your future is in his hands.

[JWinNC]

damn

[AntiGuv]

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[jmcenanly]

Just make sure they are not wired in series.