Next Geopolitics: The Future of World Affairs (Technology) Volume One by Abishur Prakash

Author:Abishur Prakash [Prakash, Abishur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-12-01T06:00:00+00:00

Autonomous Robots

Until recently, military robots have been controlled by humans. We input commands, push buttons, and program parameters. When the United States deployed the first robots in ground combat in Qiqay, Afghanistan, in 2002, they were remote-controlled by humans and sent into tunnels and caves to search for bombs and arms.

Now, technology has reached a point where it can give military robots the ability to act independently and make decisions without human input. As of 2016, three countries are leading in this: the United States, Russia, and China.

In the United States, the Department of Defense is planning to create an autonomous weapons system controlled by an artificial intelligence that is able to decide when to attack someone, using predictive social media analytics. The Pentagon, through its research and development wing, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has several projects underway to develop what is termed a lethal autonomous weapons system. One of these projects, Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE), seeks to develop aerial vehicles that can execute an entire mission on their own — target identification, tracking, attacking, and more.

In June 2016, DARPA and the U.S. Navy sent a concept autonomous submarine into the ocean for testing. Dubbed Sea Hunter, it was developed to operate autonomously, with only specific tasks carried out by humans. It can even identify enemy submarines on its own. A couple of months earlier in April, DARPA, along with several organizations, said it was working on creating autonomous self-driving vehicles for the military that could adapt to changing environmental conditions, such as incoming rocket fire.

In 2014, Russia unveiled a robot tank called Wolf-2. It uses a technology called mobile robotic complex. When in automated mode, it can select targets on its own; however, at the time, firing was still controlled by humans. In late 2015, a Russian state-owned company called United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation announced a software platform called Unicum, which gives robots, including military ones, artificial intelligence that allows them to make decisions on their own. In one test, ten robots used Unicum and selected their leader.

China is working on developing advanced autonomous military robots for underwater applications in the South China Sea. Some call this strategy their Underwater Great Wall. In June 2016, China shared some of its unmanned underwater vehicles at an exhibit. The exhibit revolved around using advanced sensors and autonomous vehicles underwater to track enemy ships and communicate with Chinese vessels. In April, China unveiled a separate, autonomous policing robot called AnBot, which can “ … patrol autonomously and protect against violence or unrest … .” It can help someone calling out for help, charge itself without human assistance, and — if needed — fire electroshock weapons and run over people.

As these autonomous technologies and others make their way into the world — and develop even more advanced capabilities — they’ll shake up governments and force them to question whether they’re responsible for the actions of these machines.

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