<COMMENT>The ABI labs</COMMENT>
<P><B><JC>On the Military Application of Robotics
<P><JC>By Dr. David Thorpe
<P>
<P>Military robots are autonomous or remote-controlled devices designed for military applications.
<P>
<P>While military robots have been in wide-spread use by national and corporate militaries for several years, such systems are still being researched by a number of militaries. Remarkable success was achieved early on with unmanned aerial vehicles like the Predator drone, which were 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. In recent times, most developments within military robotics have been with land-bound Caterpillar perimeter "security bots" or larger military bi-pedal walker robots.
<P>
<P>The implications of mastering and using this type of technology are wide, with the possibility of advanced artificial intelligence causing unforseen consequences (especially if weaponized machines are ever given AI on the level of sentience), the possibility of robots being hacked into and used against the owners or the possibility of simple machine breakdown leaving soldiers defenceless if robots are relied on too much.
<P>
<P>In literature, a play published in 1921, 'Rossum's Universal Robots' by Czech writer Karel Capek, tells the story of how people built better and better robots until they finally built robots to fight wars. In the end, the robots decide that fighting is crazy, and take over the world. This idea has since become a common staple of fiction in books, films and television.
<P>
<P>There are many advantages in robotic technology in warefare however, as outlined by Major Kenneth Rose of the US Army's Training and Doctrine Command: "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."