US Military Making Armed Robots

March 16, 2009 – 12:06 pm

by Administrator

Imagine a soldier who would gladly obey any order. That’s the type of inhuman killing machine the US military has been attempting to make for decades. Now, with the help of robotics, such soldiers might soon become reality.

Some experts say that robots on the battle field are only about 5 years away. That’s why the military is drafting a white paper which will outline uses and regulations concerning how such robots will be deployed in actual battle conditions.

“This is a concept paper to think about warfighting outcomes and what robotics will do for soldiers,” says U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, who directs the Army Capabilities Integration Center, Fort Monroe, Va. “I am starting out with the idea of having an technology-enabled human. [But] we might someday come up with [separate] IT doctrine and robot doctrine.” He reiterates that “we want to make the people or humans in charge under command and control in a ‘whole of government’ approach.”

Not everyone is sold on the idea of using robots in combat. Most of the objections results from the robot’s lack of discernment. If a robots picks the wrong target, real trouble can happen.

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