Military robots redefining war in the future
The involvement of robotics in the field of warfare has been very significant in the last century. Terminator, robot warriors and other science films have never ceased to amaze us.
Well, this possibility is not far from the reaches of our imagination. The possibility of robots fighting future wars is not unlikely. That is why many militaries around the world are funding research studies to discover robots suitable for combat, surveillance, and strategic warfare.
Robotic warfare is here and it is being used to perform some tasks like spreading bombs and saving more lives as robots replace soldiers in war zones.
Robots are being programmed and designed to work in the air, in space, on land, and even underwater. Another advantage of robots is that they can operate in environments that humans cannot survive. These include chemical, radioactive and biological environments.
With autonomous fighters
The military sector calls these robots AC’s or autonomous combatants. This is largely because the robots will operate almost independently, with little or no human control. They consider these machines to be very useful in tactical and operational warfare.
The sensory capabilities of ACs are also greater compared to those of humans. These robots will have better chances of survivability, they will be more lethal, mobile and react faster than a human being. After all, robots are effective military weapons since they don’t feel a thing. They don’t get tired, they don’t feel pain, they don’t feel hungry and they don’t need to sleep. In short, robots don’t see their morale affected by psychological concerns.
True, this is much cheaper and reduces human mortality. The way wars are fought will definitely be redefined by advanced technology, in this case robots and artificial intelligence.
Military robots in action
Some of the successful robots in the warfare arena are unmanned surveillance satellites and drones. These robots are very precise in reaching any target without the need for a human pilot.
In the past, robots were simply limited to gathering intelligence behind enemy lines during World War I and World War II. Today, it is a completely different scenario with the invention of new robots for advanced warfare.
Other robots being studied as of today are those capable of operating automated sentinels, sniper systems, and robots that have a firearm, camera, and radar suitable for patrolling.
Risks of robots in war
The only thing that a lot of people are afraid of, just like in the Terminator movies, is that the machines might make decisions for themselves and strike back at the humans. Another dangerous situation looms if an enemy finds a way to hack the system and use the weapon against the military.
Currently, the United States Navy has funded several projects that improve robotics in warfare. Some question the involvement of some robots as there are weapons that have become semi-autonomous.
Another drawback of this is that the robots do not know the rules of war and other codes of warfare. The possibility of war becoming inhumane is very likely. As of this point, the military has yet to come up with software that enables robots to make intelligent and ethical decisions during warfare. GP