Mobility & Email Blog » Robots

Iraq Combat Bots are too Combative

GadgetManiac — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:46:23 +0000

SWORDS military robots deployed in Iraq are being recalled due to command & control problems. Nobody’s been hurt, but armed uncontrolled bots seem to make people nervous for some reason. Seems that Noel Sharkey was right to be concerned about this as we reported just a few months ago.

The SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System) units are basically machine guns strapped to bomb-disposal robots, and not purpose-built for reconnaissance and counterinsurgency. However, this approach/platform has too much potential to abandon, and so it’s probably try-again time for bot-maker Foster-Miller, but with the successor MAARS robot instead, as depicted below…

Update on April 15, 2008 … apparently the reported undeployment of those SWORDS ground robots is not completely accurate. According to Stew Magnuson of National Defence Mag, the robots are now in “fixed positions” as opposed to being on active patrol. The article also has a funny comment from some crank who says that these bots can be defeated simply by sneaking up from behind and “tossing a blanket over it”.

Non-Answer on Armed Robot Pullout From Iraq Reveals Fragile Bot Industry – Popular Mechanics, April 9 2008

Segway RMP-400 Mecanum

GadgetManiac — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:57:31 +0000

Segway adds to its line of Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) models with the new RMP-400 Mecanum, which was introduced at RoboBusiness 2008 on now in Pittsburgh.

The mecanum wheels allow smooth movement in any direction. The device will sell for about $50,000, carry about 400 lbs and find a productive life in warehouses and the like.

Segway Unveils Sideways Mover at Bot Show – Popular Mechanics, April 8 2008

Robot Jurisprudence

GadgetManiac — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:57:07 +0000

One Noel Sharkey Professor of AI and Robotics at the University of Sheffield, and someone who should know something about the topic, wishes to bring those autonomous automata under the fold of legal responsibility in general, and in theaters of war in particular.

Sharkey points to the rapidly growing number of unmanned combat vehicles, aerial drones and other military robots in use in Iraq, examples being SUGV/Packbot, Stryker, Crusher, Throwbot, NLOS-C, ANS, UAV Class I and IV drones. The SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System) combat bot, for example, is designed for infantry support and can be outfitted with a wide array of weapons including anti-armor & anti-bunker munitions, shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapons, and thermobaric weapons with enhanced blast explosive. For a comprehensive list of current, near-future and long-term capabilities, please consult the DoD Unmanned Systems Roadmap: 2007-2032. The document identifies the three D`s (Dull, Dirty, Dangerous) as being the main motivation for moving towards unmanned platforms, with the vision being increased integration with manned systems, all predicated on more and better autonomous behaviour facilitated by exponentially improved computing power, with the help of some AI. Curiously absent from the doc however is any mention of space, as in weaponization-of.

Prof Sharkey’s concern is about the potential for harm to non-combatants as these these robots develop more autonomy as well as command and control responsibility. He adds that although this may not happen for a while, the time for action is now.

Robot arms race seen underway – World Science, Feb 26 2008

Ikea Buster

GadgetManiac — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:26:00 +0000

A professor of computer science over at Stanford is fed up with assembling some of Ikea’s not-so-easy-to-assemble products and is working on a solution. Andrew Ng plans to bring together a team of 30 computer scientists in order to build a robot that will be able to perform generalized tasks such as assembling an unassembled Ikea Billy Bookcase out of the box. Dubbed the “Billy Buster”, preliminary estimates are that this project will take 3-10 years.

Ng’s plans sound good, but Buster’s nemesis may turn out to be the missing parts and vague instructions and “fiendish plans” that are sometimes associated with Ikea flat-pack products.

Ultimate test for a robot: build an Ikea bookcase – The Sunday Times, July 23, 2006

Robot Humor

GadgetManiac — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 10:53:00 +0000

How to Survive a Robot Uprising is the title of a very funny book, an associated website, and apparently the working title of a possible robot comedy by Paramount Pictures. Author Daniel H. Wilson is a robotics specialist & doctoral candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, and so should know a thing or three about the subject at hand.

The book and website are rife with helpful hints and tips on dealing with a robot insurrection, such as:

1. How to spot a rebellious robot servant [Answer: sudden lack of interest in menial labor, or constant talk of human killing].

2. How to spot a hostile robot [Look for glowing red eyes].

3. How to escape from a humanoid robot [Try to confuse the robot's vision and motion tracking systems by run towards the light and in a zig-zag manner].

4. How to spot a robot mimicking a human [Try telling it a joke, and then guage the reaction]

How To Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel H. Wilson, Bloomsbury Publishing 2005

Following is a pointer to a hilarious interview that the author gave to the Washington Post. The discussion ranges from techniques for ingratiating yourself to your new robot overlords [Speak in binary], to the possiblity that your hairdryer will jump in the tub if you happen to be bathing when the robots decide to attack.

Transcript: How to Survive a Robot Uprising – Washington Post, November 18, 2005