Should robots be allowed in warfare?
The military has always been a birthplace for a lot of technologies that are commonplace today. One famous invention is the technology that you are using to read this article, the internet. Likewise, advanced technologies have also been incorporated for use by the military. Undoubtedly Countries will make use of their most advanced technology for the betterment of their defence. This begs us the question; where do we draw the line? To what extent can militaries use them for warfare? And who decides all this?
It is imperative to discuss these pressing questions. Recently the French military used SPOT (robot) for Military training. Which makes us ask the same questions.
What is SPOT?
SPOT is a dog-like mobile robot developed by Boston Dynamics. This bot is versatile and robust, providing a platform for integrating tools that allow it to be used in various applications. It is fitted with a multitude of sensors that are inundated with complex algorithms that allow it to function smartly. Some of its features listed on the Boston Dynamics website are: 1) Obstacle avoidance 2) Path following 3) Climbing stairs and 4) Adjusting itself based on environment.
Myself being a robotics engineer I will dive deeper into how SPOT works. Feel free to skip the next section.
How is SPOT able to perform such complex tasks?
For this, we split SPOT into 4 systems: perception (vision), control, planning, and mechanics. SPOT follows predefined key points in physical locations and plans its path to reach these points in a short distance. This comes under planning. Why can’t we preprogram SPOT’s path? Pre-programming the path for SPOT will not account for the dynamic nature of the environment. Hence, providing key points that spot has to reach is more practical.
Complex algorithms are used for planning the next steps of SPOT based on the data received from perception systems (i.e processed data from the various sensors). Perception is the ability of any robot to sense the real world.
Smart vision algorithms are employed on the received data from the camera to make logical sense of the environment around itself. Once the path is planned using a perception system SPOT will have to control its legs to execute the next action /movement. This involves a mathematical concept called inverse kinematics is used, where joint rotations are found based on the orientation and location of the feet of SPOT. The results of the mathematical equation are fed into the motors — used for maneuvering — of SPOT for the mechanical joints to reach the desired position, enabling it to make the next step.
All these systems come together to make SPOT do the things it is capable of accomplishing.
With all these features should SPOT be allowed for warfare?
SPOT can carry payloads up to 14kg in weight. So it can be used to carry military supplies, can be armed with weapons; allowing soldiers to combat remotely, can be used for surveillance, and much more. Why should we not use modern technologies in combat? Answers to this question are beyond the scope of this article. Current technical innovation has reached a point where humans are not able to understand decisions taken by robots. Hence, using such technologies might cause more harm than intended.
Boston dynamics stands against the use of their products in warfare, specifically, they do not want their products to be used against humans. This is what Perry (CEO of Boston Dynamics) said to the verge (link to article):
“We think that the military, to the extent that they do use robotics to take people out of harm’s way, we think that’s a perfectly valid use of the technology”
How has the French Military been using SPOT?
Based on the tweet we can understand that they have used it for training their next generation of soldiers. It is observable that SPOT is one of such robots used in training. However, based on the report by the French military we understand that SPOT had several limitations in their training that slowed down their planned operations. One such limitation was the short battery life that frequently reached low levels, slowing down the operation and the bot.
I side with Boston Dynamics and believe that such technologies should only be used for the betterment of humanity. And should not be allowed to be used against other humans.
Do you think robots should be used to fight humans? Let me know in the comments
