Robotics Blog » Military

Military’s Secret X-37B Robotic Space Shuttle Returns to Earth

Dan — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:10:35 +0000

Originally a NASA project, the X-37B became the military's secret unmanned space shuttle in 2004. When the X-37B launched last April, no one knew what was really going on. Foreign media saw the launch as a signal of space militarization. Officials say the spacecraft is undergoing testing.

Segway RMP 200 Bots Used To Train Snipers as Moving Targets.

Dan — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:31:53 +0000

Check out this video of modified Segway bots being used to simulate human targets in a live fire sniper training exercise. The bots are programmed to react much like real humans would. After a target is hit the bots are programmed to scatter.

The Segway bots have attached to them a realistic looking upper-body and wear black hooded sweatshirts. They can even enter buildings.

Ember Military ‘LANdroid’ Robot Video Update

Dan — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:14:26 +0000

'Ember', is their book-sized autonomous robot made for the LANdroid program.Ember's ad-hoc network maintains communication between soldiers on the battlefield.

Lethal Military Robots will have Ethics.

Dan — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:51:26 +0000

Military robots show no fear in the face of enemy fire, and squeeze the trigger with no remorse. But their effectiveness does not end there. These lethal robots will be built with a deeper understanding of how best to kill their opponents.

iRobot’s Tiny ‘Ember’ Bot Creates an Ad-Hoc Network for Soldiers.

Dan — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:02:37 +0000

One of Ember's duties is to keep soldiers in communication. In urban environments, buildings and angle of incidents between wireless devices can greatly affect signal propegation. LANdroids are tasked with autonomously seeking a position that keeps the network alive, while still maintaining other missions objectives

Military Robotics – A TED Talk about The Future of War

Dan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:47:45 +0000

How are robots changing war? Peter Singer talks about how robots are changing how we fight wars and how robots will change the way we fight war in the future. How does using robots in war change public perception of war? With thousands of robots already in the air and on ground of warzones, what part do they currently play in war and how will they change how we think and fight wars in the future?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pw_singer_on_robots_of_war.html

Robot Plays Marco Polo, Senses and Intercepts its Target

Dan — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:06:31 +0000

A robot built by University of New Mexico and Duke professors displays its talent at intercepting a target through the game known as ‘Marco Polo’.

In the game, one person is ‘it’ and the other players become the targets to tag. When the person who is it, says “Marco”, the other players must respond with “Polo”.

This type of game is well suited for the robot’s mission. The robot must be designed to track the other players based off of their previous locations and determine a way to intercept and tag them.

And it isn’t just about playing a game. The robot has military applications: It could track missiles movements, or predict enemy troop locations. It could also provide a way of mapping a minefield. By tracking the locations of mines it could tell operators the safest possible path to get through it.

Civilization ends – Terminator Style?

Dan — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:21:15 +0000

So another dramatic news article title by our friends at FOX.

Autonomous military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict warrior code, or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands.

So true, but why would we program to do anything we didn’t want them to?

“There is a common misconception that robots will do only what we have programmed them to do….Unfortunately, such a belief is sorely outdated, harking back to a time when … programs could be written and understood by a single person.”
– Patrick Lin

An interesting thought, but we can only blame ourselves if we don’t know what our robots are doing. It is certainly a valid issue, though. If we are making autonomous robots, robots which act on there own, they do have the ability to do things we do not want them to if we are not careful.

I’m not going to bite into the notion that the world will end by our robots turning on us. That isn’t what I found in the “Full Report” below, either. (Although FOX news did, at least in their title).

[FOX News] [Full Report]