Machines Will Rise: Becoming Self Aware The Department of Defense is building robots for the Pentagon. It has been seen as a move that could advance AI research and move the Defense robotics industry into the New Age. As viewed in our Exoskeleton section one of the leading manufactures in the exoskeleton arena is a company called Cyberdyne Technologies. Industry experts are already predicting that when the soldier steps out of this unit the exoskeleton will be able to operate autonomously.
Project Alpha , a U.S. Joint Forces Command rapid idea analysis group, is in the midst of a study focusing on the concept of developing and employing military robots that would be capable of replacing humans to perform many, if not most combat functions on the battlefield.
The study, appropriately titled, “Unmanned Effects: Taking the Human out of the Loop ,” suggests that by as early as 2025, the presence of autonomous robots, networked and integrated, on the battlefield might not be the exception, but, in fact, the norm.
The defense robotics industry has combat deployed multiple unmanned robotics systems to assist with the war effort. These units will be employed on several fronts. UAV's will be used for unmanned surveillence, recon and bombing missions. Packbots are being constructed to carry heavy loads across difficult terrain. Smaller ground mobile platforms can be fitted to seek and disable explosives and be armed with a variety of weapons to conduct offensive assault missions on humans. Micro and Nano sized robots can conduct clandestine spying operations and in time be fitted to kill the species that created them. Everyone knows that being a soldier is a dangerous job, but some of the tasks that soldiers are required to do are more dangerous than others. Walking through minefields, deactivating unexploded bombs or clearing out hostile buildings, for example, are some of the most dangerous tasks a person is asked to perform in the line of duty.
What if we could send robots to do these jobs instead of humans? Then, if something went wrong, we'd only lose the money it cost to build the robot instead of losing a human life. And we could always build more robots. The U.S. military has been developing robotic systems for all sorts of jobs for years now, and some of them are even on the front lines in Iraq . If military robots aren't shaped like humans, what shapes do they come in? It depends on the kinds of jobs the robot is built to carry out. Robots that have to negotiate difficult terrain use tank treads. Flying robots look pretty much like small airplanes . Some robots are the size of trucks, and they look pretty much like trucks or bulldozers. Other, smaller robots have a very low profile to allow for great maneuverability. AI is a form of computer program that allows the robot to process information and make some decisions on its own. Instead of independent AI, most military robots are still remote-controlled by human operators. The military doesn't usually yet use the term "robot" -- it calls them unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The most common robots currently in use by the military are small, flat robots mounted on miniature tank treads. These robots are tough, able to tackle almost any terrain and usually have a variety of sensors built in, including audio and video surveillance and chemical detection. These robots are versatile, with different sensor or weapon packages available that mount to the main chassis. Virtually all of them are man-portable.
TALON / SWORDS Platforms
The TALON is a man-portable robot operating on small treads. It weighs less than 100 lbs (45 kg) in its base configuration. TALON is designed to be very durable -- one of the robots reportedly fell off a bridge and into a river in Iraq . Some time later, the soldiers set up the TALON's control unit and simply drove it out of the river [ ref ]. That brings up another important feature of the TALON -- it's amphibious. TALON is operated with a joystick control, has seven speed settings (top speed is 6 feet/1.8 meters per second) and can use its treads to climb stairs, maneuver through rubble and even take on snow.
Versatility has been designed into the TALON as well, with multiple possible configurations available that adapt the robot to the situation at hand. The basic TALON includes audio and video listening devices and a mechanical arm. A lightweight (60-lb/27-kg) version omits the arm. TALONs were used for search and rescue at WTC Ground Zero, and they have been used in Bosnia , Afghanistan and Iraq for the disposal of live grenades , improvised explosive devices and other dangerous explosives.
Recently, the TALON has taken on an even bigger role. All TALONs are now equipped with chemical, gas, temperature and radiation sensors. "TALON robots are being configured with M240 or M249 machine guns or Barrett 50-caliber rifles and grenade launchers and anti-tank rockets," according to manufacturer Foster-Miller.
Packbots are small ManPort units controlled by a Pentium processor that has been designed specially to withstand rough treatment, Packbot's chassis has a GPS system , an electronic compass and temperature sensors built in. Packbot manufacturer iRobot says Packbot can move more than 8 mph (13 kph), can be deployed in minutes and can withstand a 6-foot (1.8-meter) drop onto concrete -- the equivalent of 400 g's of force. U.S. soldiers regularly take advantage of this ruggedness, tossing Packbot through windows of hostile buildings and then using it to search and find out where enemy combatants are hiding. Even if Packbot lands upside down, it can right itself using powerful treaded flippers, which also help it climb obstacles.
Military Robot Packbot comes in several different versions in addition to the basic Scout unit. Packbot Explorer adds a square "head" that can raise up on a metal arm, pan and tilt, provide gun-sighting video and generally act as a lookout for soldiers who need to peer over obstacles or around corners. Packbot EOD is used to disarm or safely detonate dangerous explosives. It uses a mechanical arm with a gripping hand plus a full range of audio and visual sensors. With eight modular payload ports, Packbot is built for further customization. These robots have a top speed of 3 feet (1 meter) per second and a single-charge run time of four to six hours. In the event of tread damage, the quick-change tracks can be swapped in about five minutes.
BigDog
The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth
BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal's, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight. BigDog has an on-board computer that controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors. BigDog's control system manages the dynamics of its behavior to keep it balanced, steer, navigate, and regulate energetics as conditions vary. Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a laser gyroscope, and a stereo vision system. Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine temperature, rpm, battery charge and others. BigDog can move at a trot, climb slopes and carry multiple rucksacks and gear.BigDog is being developed by Boston Dynamics with help from Foster Miller, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.Development is funded by the DARPA Defense Sciences Office.
ACER
ACER is another robot made by Mesa Robotics. This robot is about the size of a small bulldozer or a Zamboni. ACER can handle many heavy-duty tasks, such as clearing out explosives with a mechanical arm, clearing and cutting obstacles down with a plow blade or a giant cutter, pulling disabled vehicles (up to and including buses), hauling cargo in a trailer and serving as a weapons platform. This robot can roll along with a mine-sweeper attached to the front, clearing a field of anti-personnel mines before any humans have to walk there. One of ACER's more innovative uses is as a firefighting/decontamination platform. Equipped with a pan-and-tilt nozzle, ACER can pull its own supply of foam retardant or decontaminant in a 350-gallon (1,325-liter) tank. A nozzle can also be mounted on a mechanical arm for very precise aiming. ACER is not man-portable -- it weighs 4,500 lbs (2,040 kg). This heavy-duty robot has a maximum speed of 6.3 mph (10 kph) and runs on a diesel engine . The fuel tank holds 19 gallons (72 liters). For complete ACER specifications and features, see Mesa Robotics: ACER.
ARTS
The All-Purpose Remote Transport System (ARTS) was developed by the U.S. Air Force for one purpose -- the help dispose of dangerous explosives. ARTS is basically a bulldozer, but instead of a bulldozer's blade, it has mine-clearing devices, a mechanical arm and a water cutting tool attached. ARTS can be remotely operated from a distance of up to 3 miles (5 km) with line of sight. It can also set charges to detonate explosives from a distance. ARTS weighs 7,500 lbs (3,400 kg).
RAAS and ARV
The Robotic Armored Assault System (RAAS) and the Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) are both in development by the U.S. military. These are large-scale robots (ARV will weigh 5 to 6 tons) capable of carrying up to 1 ton of payload. Potential weapons to be mounted on these tank-size robots include the 30mm Mk 44 chain gun or a turret system capable of firing Hellfire missiles . They have been designed so that they can be carried and deployed by the military's primary cargo-carrying aircraft, the C-130 and the CH-47.
Flying Bots: Global Hawk and Pointer
The military uses several different flying robots, mainly for reconnaissance . Instead of UGVs, these are known as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and they are sometimes referred to as drones . UAVs look like model aircraft, and they range in size from small planes that can be held by a person and launched with a good throw, like the FQM-151 Pointer, to full-size airplanes that operate by remote control, like the RQ-4A Global Hawk.
Global Hawk Specifications
Photo courtesy Air Force Link Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk
Reconnaissance plays a key role in military planning -- drones help military commanders keep track of their own troops and also spot enemy troops that might be waiting to ambush U.S. soldiers.
Flying robots like the Predator provide constant real-time data on troop movements, enemy locations and weather. In at least one case, a flying robot did a lot more than just spot the enemy: Predators can be fitted with Hellfire missiles, and when one of these Air Force drones spotted an anti-aircraft gun in southern Iraq in March 2003, it used one of the Hellfires to take it out [ ref ].
Insect Robots/Cyborgs
The Pentagon is trying to develop "insect cyborgs" able to sniff out explosives, or "bug" conversations by lurking unseen in enemy hideouts with micro-transmitters strapped to their bodies. The U.S. Department of Defense is considering fielding an army of remote-controlled insect spybots as scouts. DARPA, says it is seeking "innovative proposals to develop technology to create insect cyborgs," by implanting tiny devices into insect bodies while the animals are in their larva or pupal stage.
The devices DARPA wants to implant are micro-electro-mechanical systems, or MEMS. MEMS technology uses tiny silicon wafers like those used as the basis for computer microchips. But instead of merely laying circuits on them, MEMS technology can actually cut and shape the silicon, turning the chip into a microscopic mechanical device. This transforms the insects into "predictable devices that can be used for various micro-UAV missions requiring unobtrusive entry into areas inaccessible or hostile to humans."
Cornell University has implanted a silicon chips inside flying insects to control their movement. The results were published June 22 by AZoNano . These “insect cyborg sentinels” ranging from cicadas to dragonflies are a new pass in cyborg technology. The project intends to control the insects' movement by motion trajectories obtained from GPS coordinates or from using an ultrasonic based remote control. Gaining control of an insect's movement is necessary because it enables scientists to position the insect in an area where a toxic substance is suspected to be present
Insect Cyborg Sentinels combine living system technology with nanosystem technology, taking the best that a living system has with the best that engineers can do in building nanosystem technologies. Insects can fly up to two weeks without stopping, possessing an aerodynamic ability well developed over millions of years of evolution. The future shows DARPA arming these cyborgs with SWARM technology to be used as an offensive asset as well. The project is funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) which has a full Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) Program. ($2 million HI-MEMS program).
Many of today's military robots are still somewhat limited in their autonomy and their range. They are essentially tethered to human controllers. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Black Ops government think tank researches develops future technologies for the new military, recently held a widely publicized robot race to see how far along robot AI has come. Modern AI is still somewhat limited but advancements are accelerating exponentially at an alarming rate. From massive troop transports to micro-nano spybots it is expected that by 2025 the battlefield will be a hybrid blend of soldier and cyborg robot. In our Omega Commission report we detail our findings on the direction this is taking humankind.
