Robots to shape wars of the future

[unhappycamper]

A soldier with the 25th Infantry Division prepares to launch a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle in Paktika province, Iraq.


Robots to shape wars of the future
By Kathleen Curthoys and Matthew Cox - Staff writers
Posted : Sunday Dec 27, 2009 14:40:13 EST

Robots may one day be more effective than human soldiers on the battlefield and they may have a sense of ethics — even a sense of guilt, says a robotics expert who has done a study with the support of the Army’s research office.

Ethical robots that can use lethal force on the battlefield would adhere to international law and rules of engagement, Ronald C. Arkin told Army Times on Dec. 15. Arkin describes how this could work in his 2009 book “Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots.” He is with the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Here’s what the future of robots may hold: Human soldiers eventually may not be up to speed compared to “humane-oids” in the battle space, Arkin says. Future developments may lead to robotic sensors better equipped than soldiers to maintain situational awareness and process information quickly about situations in which lethal force might be used.

Mr. Spock can relate to certain advantages of having robots in the combat zone: They are free of human emotion, which can distort judgment, and they don’t express anger or frustration. But Arkin envisions robots designed with some capabilities — if not exactly feelings — that would be constructive: Remorse, compassion, and yes, guilt.

Robots designed to have guilt operate this way, according to a research paper co-written by Arkin and colleague Patrick Ulam: The robots would be designed with an “ethical adaptor,” while each weapon system they carry would be grouped according to its destructive power and each group of weapons associated with a specific guilt threshold.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/army_robots_122709w/

[HillbillyBob]

1. Perhaps we could 'program' some guilt into

those who start the wars of aggression and self aggrandizement... That would be a real step forward don't ya think?