Friday, August 26, 2011

Robots and the end of war as we know it


U.S. soldiers seeking to root out al-Qaeda and Taliban forces raid a dwelling near the villages of Sherkhankheyl, Marzak and Bobelkiel, in Afghanistan in March 2002. (Joe Raedle - REUTERS)

Rapid advances in robotics technology, combined with the need for innovative new technologies to combat insurgents on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, are turning robots and unmanned drones into the next hot area of military innovation. The most sophisticated of the new military bots weigh less than five pounds. Then there are others that can fit into your pocket, and be connected via a mesh network. That network gives them the ability to coordinate activities, such as detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or scouting out locations, in real-time as part of a robot swarm.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. Army is now seeking to deploy thousands of these tiny military bots.

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/robots-and-the-end-of-war-as-we-know-it/2010/12/20/gIQAFB4iZJ_blog.html

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