This item posted on theWired blog site on how technology will make war time slaughter more efficient and much less traumatic for the perpetrator of said slaughter.
Robots have been roaming the streets of Iraq, since shortly after the war began. Now, for the first time -- the first time in any war zone -- the machines are carrying guns.
After years of development, three "special weapons observation remote reconnaissance direct action system" (SWORDS) robots have deployed to Iraq, armed with M249 machine guns. The 'bots "haven't fired their weapons yet," Michael Zecca, the SWORDS program manager, tells DANGER ROOM. "But that'll be happening soon."
I have always wondered if there is a special agency in the government with the sole function of coming up with catchy acronyms. Do they come up with the tortured description first and then apply the acronym or do the come up with the acronym and then torture the language to fit it? Inquiring minds want to know.....on second thought, probably not.
But I digress.
The SWORDS -- modified versions of bomb-disposal robots used throughout Iraq -- were first declared ready for duty back in 2004. But concerns about safety kept the robots from being sent over the battlefield. The machines had a tendency to spin out of control from time to time. That was an annoyance during ordnance-handling missions; no one wanted to contemplate the consequences during a firefight.
An annoyance? I would say "annoyance" probably understates the scenario of a robot spinning out of control spraying bullets from a M249 machine gun. While it may make for a funny UTube clip, I doubt a crowded Iraqi neighborhood would get the humorous aspects of such an event.
And from theBBC News we get this bit of techno-news.
The US military is planning to deploy robots armed with machine-guns to wage war against insurgents in Iraq.
Eighteen of the 1m-high robots, equipped with cameras and operated by remote control, are going to Iraq this spring, the Associated Press reports.
The machine is based on a robot already used by the military to disable bombs.
Apparently the DoD hasn’t considered Isaac Asimov’s, 3 Laws of Robotics. While Dr. Asimov’s laws were formulated within the framework of fiction that does not invalidate the logical necessity of such laws, as science fiction becomes science reality.
As they are now constructed the SWORDS are not really robots, they are tele-operated devices. But the smart machine is not far off, one with built in logic and operating parameters that would allow it to function independently from a human operator – then you have a true robot and an infant terminator.
Officials say the robot warrior is fast, accurate and will track and attack the enemy with relatively little risk to the lives of US soldiers.
Unlike its human counterparts, the armed robot does not require food, clothing, training, motivation or a pension.
When not needed in war, it can be mothballed in a warehouse.
I wonder if that mothball option is open for the disposition of the Blackwater mercenaries.
According to Bob Quinn, a manager with Foster-Miller, the US-based company which worked with the military to develop the robot, the only difference for a soldier is that "his weapon is not at his shoulder, it's up to half a mile away".
A US officer who helped test the robot said it was a more accurate shot than the average soldier because it is mounted on a stable platform and takes aim electronically.
"It eliminates the majority of shooting errors you have," said Staff Sgt Santiago Tordillos.
Mr Quinn says there are plans to replace the computer screen, joysticks and keypad in the remote-control unit with a Gameboy-style controller and virtual-reality goggles.
Well that makes sense – we can look at future (and present) wars as a FUN game - sort of takes the unpleasantries out of all that messy, up close, killing. And, this will certainly help recruiting – just send recruiters to the local arcades and target the high scorers on the "first person shooter" games.
Whether or not this concept has legs might depend on who is going to be making money on the venture. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of optimistic news in that department.
The Foster-Miller Company is owned by the QinetiQ Group, a joint venture between the UK's Ministry of Defence and US-based holding company, Carlyle Group.
Why does it not surprise me that poppa Bush, the Saudis and all their Carlyle Group buddies have their hand in this humanitarian enterprise.