Armed robots are no longer just part of science fiction films like The Terminator. They’ve become part of our reality, and are here to stay.
M249 Machine Guns:
In fact, the first armed robots were used in Iraq in 2007. They were modified versions of bomb disposal bots. Except now they were carrying M249 machine guns. Fast forward 15 years, and these robots have gotten smarter and deadlier.
Thanks to companies like Kinetic and General Robotics, let’s look at some of the robots that have been groomed for battle. Introducing Mars, or Modular Advanced Arm Robotics Systems by Kinetic. This unmanned ground vehicle is like a tiny powerful and combat ready tank. These bots keep soldiers at a safe distance from enemy fire, signaling threats from several kilometers away. It’s used in booby trapped areas, and for ambushes, hostage your soldier rescue, and forced entry.
It’s also got safety features, and only takes action when it receives coded instructions from its operator. That’s my day camera, and that’s my night thermal camera. And when it comes to using force, it either uses non-lethal laser dazzlers, audio deterrents, or less than lethal grenades. Or it can be hardcore, and fire its lethal grenade launcher, machine gun, and even start fires. But this isn’t the only armed robot in Kinetic’s fleet.
They’ve got the Talon family of robots too. These are medium-sized tactical robots. They can be used to plant or dispose IEDs, or even defense and rescue missions. In fact, they’ve already been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in searching for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.
Sea Talon:
One of the latest models is the Sea Talon. It’s extremely rugged, and can be used in turbulent waters, or on land. And with features like pressure sensors, GPS navigation and night vision, it can be used for security, surveillance, and even mind-hunting operations.
General Robotics is another developer of light and smart robots. Take a look at the Pitbull remote-controlled weapon stations. This robot has enhanced artificial intelligence that improves its situational awareness and response rate.
Using a target prediction algorithm, it can continuously and autonomously detect and track the predicted positions of threats and friendly forces. It’s lightweight, but it can mount 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine guns, and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. And once it’s given the commander shoot, it’s known to take a perfect shot. But you don’t have to be as large as the Pitbull to be deadly.
Meet Doggo:
It’s small, weighs 10kg, and can fit in a rucksack. But don’t be fooled by its size. This tactical combat robot can climb stairs, has 8 colour video cameras, and is armed with a 9mm Glock pistol.
Doggo acts as a watchdog for soldiers in the field, and can eliminate threats without any collateral damage. And besides its anti-terror and close combat applications, its two-way audio feature can be used for negotiations for hostage rescue as well.
Ghost Robotics:
Another participant in the Killer Bot Race is Ghost Robotics, and they’re known for developing dog-like military robots. The Vision 60 is one of them. This mid-size QUGV weighs 51kg and has a top running speed of 3m per second. It has high endurance and is operational in all kinds of weather and ground conditions.
Ghost Robotics recently partnered with Sword International to create a rifle-carrying semi-autonomous robotic dog called Sper, or Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle System. Basically, they took a 6.5mm creed-more rifle from Sword, and designed it for the Vision 60’s back to create this crazy looking sniper dog. While it hasn’t been used in combat yet, it’s safe to say you’d be well protected by it. Kinetic, general robotics, and Ghost Robotics aren’t the only ones creating armed robots.
There are other players in the market, creating bots for the military in all shapes and sizes, like MUT, a semi-autonomous robot by General Dynamics, which can be driven anywhere. And when it comes to firepower, this thing can be fixed with weapons like the M240B and the M2 machine guns, and even automatic grenade launchers. But armed robots aren’t just used by the military anymore. Many law enforcement agencies are introducing them on the police force as well. So far, they’ve been bots that only disarm bombs.
But a few years ago, the Dallas Police Department used a bot to deliver an explosive device to kill a shooting suspect in a garage. Dallas police say they used a bomb robot to take out Michael Johnson because they had no other choice. Negotiations broke down, we had an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, and we saw no other option.
Federal law enforcement sources believe it delivered a small explosive typically used by SWAT teams to breach or blow open a door. It’s a tactic used very rarely by the military, and likely for the first time by U.S. law enforcement.
Most recently, the San Francisco Police Department decided to use potentially deadly robots in extreme situations. And although they’ve assured the public that these robots will only be used under supervision, it has sparked a lot of debate. Robots have proven their worth by keeping soldiers and police officers safe. But they have malfunctioned in the past. In the early years, the swords robots had a tendency to spin out of control from time to time. And something like that could be deadly in real life.
There were also cases where radio-controlled robots lagged by as much as eight seconds, which could be costly in battle. Even though armed robots have evolved and become considerably more advanced since then, people still have concerns. They could be misused in the wrong hands, hacked and taken over. And if they’re made more fully autonomous, there’s no telling what kind of consequences that could have. I can’t be a child so much more.
The Walkway Woods AI is far more dangerous than it is. The That little bank is enough to penetrate the skull and destroy the contents. Allowing machines to choose to kill humans will be devastating to our security and freedom.
What are your thoughts on killer robots?
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