Will the U.S. Have a Droid Army?

Of course they want a droid army...

You don't have to feed, house or provide medical care at a Veterans Hospital for life with a droid.

No PTSD

No Fear

reply to post by Agit8dChop

losing so many soliders no one wants to fight?
or losing so many robots, your economy cannot build another?

I dont think we'll see robots in our life time.

( IE next 80yrs )

proper robots, ones that walk, conduct missions, shoot at bad guys and assist the good guys.

We're actually not that far off from it now.



Granted, it's just an exoskeleton, but it's not far off from being autonomous. Further, they're under competition from Berkley who are creating a much more light-weight, mobile, and compact version. I can easily an armored version of the Sarcos for heavy fire situations and the Berkley model for special ops.

They're already being proposed for the private sector as well. I.E., they will replace hover-rounds for senior mobility.

Also, the reason why robotics are so expensive now is because these prototypes, tests, and limited run machines are not mass produced. Cost will go down as the infrastructure to build the technology is put in place, as more units are built in bulk, and as the technology itself becomes more mature. Not only that, but the price of new technology should come down as technology in general advances.

This is no different than the computer market in which you could spend $5,000 in 1990 on an already outdated 386 vs. today's computer market where you can build a top of the line system for less than $1,000.

Further, I seem to recall that military projections for fully autonomous robots won't be around until at least 2040 since the technology for pattern recognition and AI simply isn't there yet. While we do have many unmanned drones - any strike on a target which could result in casualties is closely monitored and the decision to fire is placed in the hands of a human being.

This is done for a two fold reason:

1. It makes it less likely for misidentification, civilian casualties, or hardware/software errors to result in unnecessary or unauthorized casualties.

2. As a PR move. Nobody wants a computerized military force without oversight to make life and death decisions. There's no liability either, because it's just a machine. If a human operator/supervisor makes the call, and it's the wrong one, then they can be dealt with appropriately.

Honestly, I don't see robots completely replacing the standard human army any time soon, but I do see both human and machine components of war merging ever closer together and more interdependent with time.

A droid army makes sense, there would be greater public support with no loss of life. I don't think we're far off such realities.

I was amazed by the fantastic creations of La Machine, I'm off to see the new one today.

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk...

www.youtube.com...

A sign of things to come?

forget Star Wars. I'd like to see something like they had in Robotech!

What I want to know is will these droids or robots also take the Oath to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America as the men and women of our armed services do?

Not that it really matters ... the people calling the shots incriminate themselves every time they vote for more war funding ... or to allow more wiretaps on citizens.

[edit on 5-9-2008 by tyranny22]

Well, I'll say another thing.

The technology used in war, is usually the technology that ends up policing your home populace in hard times.


At least a foot soldier might respond with mercy to a citizen screaming no please no, my baby!

Imagine how impossible it would be to overthrow a dictatorship in the US... if the people have to get through autonomous killing machines to do it.

Pussy army... pretty hardcore to attack countries with A-Bombs, cruise missiles and robots from afar... my heroes.

Originally posted by Vehemens
Pussy army... pretty hardcore to attack countries with A-Bombs, cruise missiles and robots from afar... my heroes.

Of course, because we're really launching nukes and cruise missles from here in America.

Maybe we should start a draft so we can have more frontline infantry and whatnot, so that way we can get up, close and personal to the other armies, groups, whoever. . Losing lives is ok, because its more "manly" than having someone operating a "robot" from far away so that way, we're not losing soldiers.

I support a "Droid" Army if humans are still calling the shots, the minute we take that step into giving robots free reign is the minute we have a problem.

Nah, just use artificial intelligence that functions on the surreal level, Nano-technology.


Or just clone some of the best damn killers we got, with no emotions, then we are good to go, got make that kill, ohh the sweetness of the kill.

Oh Brother.

Bigger, better and faster program where does it stop at Annihilation usually, when the science proceeds the spirituality of its people.



[edit on 5-9-2008 by menguard]

This actually scares me. Sure, no loss of life on "our" side of things, no medical care needed, no mental health issues etc. However at what point does it become a "game"? If it get's to the point where resources are plentiful and cheap, and a full standing army of robots can be replaced quickly and cheaply, then I would be afraid.

The AI issue doesn't bother me, I don't see it happening any time soon. What bothers me is the other person behind the robot. Generally will a human soldier fire on their own population with no good reason? More than likely not. Will a robot that's been given a command? Absolutely.

Originally posted by Vehemens
Pussy army... pretty hardcore to attack countries with A-Bombs, cruise missiles and robots from afar... my heroes.

Another naive poster that apparently thinks wars are supposed to be "fair fights" - Marquis of Queensbury rules and all that.

Countries go into wars intent on doing whatever it takes to win the war - or they lose.

[edit on 9/5/2008 by centurion1211]

Sex Robots, War Robots and Batteries is where I'd put my money if I had any. War robots are pretty simple to make compared to Sex Robots.

I have no doubt that we will fight wars with robots as they can be replaced or repaired without too many tears. Just as I have no doubt we will be renting robotic sex prostitutes in the future.

Originally posted by Hypntick
This actually scares me. Sure, no loss of life on "our" side of things, no medical care needed, no mental health issues etc. However at what point does it become a "game"? If it get's to the point where resources are plentiful and cheap, and a full standing army of robots can be replaced quickly and cheaply, then I would be afraid.

The AI issue doesn't bother me, I don't see it happening any time soon. What bothers me is the other person behind the robot. Generally will a human soldier fire on their own population with no good reason? More than likely not. Will a robot that's been given a command? Absolutely.

But then there's the premise from the movie "Terminator". Where war is turned over to machines and they decide who needs humans for anything.

Unsurprising, if you keep up to date with military equipment. what i find pretty neat is the iron man suits(look it up) they are developing.

But if there is a total army of driods then they will have to come up with a better way of population control, Like malfunctioning droids perhaps?

...or expect war, to come to a town near you!

reply to post by verylowfrequency


Looking for a good time sailor?

Or just clone some of the best damn killers we got, with no emotions, then we are good to go, got make that kill, ohh the sweetness of the kill.

Oh! Oh! I know! We can call it the "Les Enfant Terible" project!

SSSSNNNNNNAAAAAKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Pussy army... pretty hardcore to attack countries with A-Bombs, cruise missiles and robots from afar... my heroes.

"The point of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other poor son of a ***** die for his." ~ Patton

But then there's the premise from the movie "Terminator". Where war is turned over to machines and they decide who needs humans for anything.

The Terminator is fiction. Please keep this in mind.

reply to post by ice1300


Sooner or later, intelligent machines will become too intelligent, and the Terminator trilogy will become a reality!

reply to post by johnsky


I think that would only be true if the robots could override the actions of the superiors. I think that more likely the opposite would happen: Accountability would no longer be diluted and the person responsible would be the ones sitting at the control panel. As robots would "amplify" manpower then war crimes of great magnitude could happen at the hands of a few, but those few would find it very hard to blame somebody else for their actions.

Also realize that with robots out in the "field" theft and rape and other crimes committed by soldiers could conceivably be reduced.

-rrr