Korvar Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 A list of 12 unmanned weapon platforms, some autonomous, some remotely controlled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal A list of 12 unmanned weapon platforms' date=' some autonomous, some remotely controlled.[/quote'] Interesting, though their text seemed rather hysterical... There is another one The Navy has, called Neptune. I haven't been able to find much on it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Nice find! I liked this bit... A tank-sized robot capable of autonomous navigation and rudimentary targeting of its 25 mm chain-gun is not something anyone would want to confront, ever. That's exactly what this beast is, and with the capacity to mount pods of TOW (anti-tank) and Stinger (anti-aircraft) missiles, this vehicle is as survivable as it is lethal. OGRE Mk I, anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Yeah, that's right, let's keep doing Skynet's R&D for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal I like the X-45 description: They created the X-45 UCAV, or Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle. Like horrors from a science fiction film, these things are meant to travel in packs, autonomously, and engage targets with lethal speed, maneuverability, and armament. They communicate with each other and with near instantaneous speed determine how best to deal with a target in any given situation, then handle it. That's how Autonomous should be done. Get a pack of them, in a mesh network, have an AI that can think individually or in a meshed super-mind. I've used similar AI concepts in games in small spider-like robots, where the more there are, the smarter they get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal We have a way to go with autonomy - unless there have been huge strides in shape recognition and the differentiation between shadow and colour that I haven't been aware of. Albeit laser range finders and radar can help in defining depth and shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeropoint Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Movie references aside, I'm not really comfortable with the idea of machines making life and death decisions like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal We have a way to go with autonomy - unless there have been huge strides in shape recognition and the differentiation between shadow and colour that I haven't been aware of. Albeit laser range finders and radar can help in defining depth and shape. Millimeter wave radar and laser radar would probably be good for that. I would still usually prefer to have a Human giving the "Go" signal. I suppose using them in designated areas, with specific target types, might work relatively safely. Though what happens when somebody corrupts their navigation programs and instead of patrolling a "no fly zone" on the Korean border, they move to right over Seoul, for instance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal This year is the first year that the Air Force is training more remote pilots than plane pilots. (according to some article I saw...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal A tank-sized robot capable of autonomous navigation and rudimentary targeting of its 25 mm chain-gun is not something anyone would want to confront, ever. That's exactly what this beast is, and with the capacity to mount pods of TOW (anti-tank) and Stinger (anti-aircraft) missiles, this vehicle is as survivable as it is lethal. Sometimes the way people write really bugs the hell out of me. The last part should read: "...and with the capacity to mount pods of...missiles, this vehicle is as lethal as it is survivable." because the sentence mentions things that make the vehicle lethal, not things that make it tough. And then there's the misuse of the word "survivable" to mean that something "is good at surviving". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal We have a way to go with autonomy - unless there have been huge strides in shape recognition and the differentiation between shadow and colour that I haven't been aware of. Albeit laser range finders and radar can help in defining depth and shape. Installing killallhumans.exe pushed this below ammunition capacity on the priority list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Kill The Humans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Most of those weapons suck. Plus where is the iRobot with the MetalStorm weapon system on it? That would be the one to watch. Plenty of the others are still in the development stage so why not that one? The robotic Bradley will have all the major failings of the actual Bradley (too loud, too big) and none of the benefits (hard for me to think of any...) The Navy submersible drones which are near actual deployment are much more interesting than the RC chopper and flying wing this guy has in his list. The Talon is cool and operational for EOD. The Reaper is operational and great. I've not heard of the Predator C. I'd be interested in knowing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dronf Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal Whoa! I didn't know "killer robots" are so advanced. I'm scared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sociotard Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal I thought the SWORDS system was cancelled? Ah, yes, here it is: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2008/20081110/crispin-a.shtml After years and millions of dollars in development, the deployment earlier this year of the first three units to Iraq was greeted with heavy coverage by the mass media. But almost the moment that the US$230,000-apiece devices arrived on the ground, the SWORDS program was abandoned. All project funding was cut, and the robots have never been allowed to fire a single shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal I thought the SWORDS system was cancelled? Great article. I had not realized it was canceled or the circumstances of that. It is interesting that the environment has become so hostile to central control. It raises some very interesting questions about autonomous control. I am sure there is a solution - there must be frequencies that aren't poluted How would all the flying drones work if there weren't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dronf Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Re: 12 of the Deadliest Unmanned Killing Machines in Our Arsenal I am sure there is a solution - there must be frequencies that aren't poluted How would all the flying drones work if there weren't? Line of sight, like the article said. The writer knows <0 about encryption. The Army has also never explained what measures would be put in place to prevent nearby units from interfering with one another. If identical encryption protocols were being used by multiple units' date=' the accidental firing of a gun would be a very real possibility if each robot misinterpreted the order as its own.[/quote'] Using the same protocol =/= using the same key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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