I recently saw the preview for the movie "I,Robot" starring Wil Smith,
and it spurred me to think that an anthropomorphic remote-controlled
robot platform would be a useful advancement in military and security
applications.
Likewise, NASA is developing humanoid-looking robot telemanipulators
to do the jobs that astronauts might do on spacewalks.
The idea here would be to have a remotely-controlled robot with a
humanoid shape, capable of moving like a human being, and therefore
capable of travelling anywhere a human being can go, beyond the reach
of conventional vehicles. Mountain warfare, forrests, jungles, swamps,
urban patrols of alleyways, raids into buildings/houses, tunnels,
caves, etc.
The type of remote control would be "telepresence", whereby the robot
drone is sending full video,audio,tactile feedback to the pilot,
sufficiently rich and immersive so that the pilot would feel like
he/she is right there.
The benefit of having this humanoid type of drone, is that you could
use it in place of a regular soldier in situations where there is
higher risk.
For example, you could airdrop it into an enemy-infested area to
reconnoitre it, while the tele-operator/pilot would be a safe distance
away from the frontline or danger area.
We often hear of soldiers being killed or maimed by boobytraps or
Improvised Explosive Devices -- IED is now a familiar acronym,
unfortunately. Such weapons are now becoming the tools of choice for
guerrilla/terrorist militants, since these are percieved as more
effective against conventional armies. A remote-controlled soldier
might be a way to make IEDs and boobytraps obsolete, especially if it
were mass-produced cheaply.
Now that we are living in the broadband information age, I would
imagine that telepresence is a realistically achievable technology.
Likewise, I think that robotics technology is advancing to the point
where a humanoid or anthromorphically articulated robot could be
built, having an arrangement of joints similar to a human being.
A robot would be more physically rugged than the fragile flesh and
blood of a human being, and could withstand more punishment or harsh
environments. It would not need to be fed, only re-fuelled (food
spoils, while fuel doesn't). It would not succumb to disease or
fatigue, and could withstand NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical)
environments. It could also be stronger, faster, capable of leaping
farther, and have more endurance. It could be powered by a fuel cell,
which could be detonated to destroy the drone to avoid capture, or
even to destroy a target.
The robot would not have to wear all the extra protective gear that a
human being does. It wouldn't require army medics -- you would simply
remove and replace damaged parts, or just scrap the whole thing, and
have the pilot login to a new one, ready for action. No worries about
a robot being captured, since you could blow it up. Likewise, if your
artillery or airforce needs to bombard the area where the drone is,
you can sacrifice the robot, unlike with a human scout.
Key to successful telepresence immersion, would be to give the pilot
the sense of orientation and balance for the robot. A gyroscope could
measure the balance, other sensors providing the orientation of the
limbs, etc. These would have to be transmitted to the nervous system
of the remote pilot. Perhaps the pilot could be surgically fitted with
some kind of input jack, that would allow a direct feed to the nervous
system, or if that's too extreme perhaps external electrodes could
achieve something similar. Perhaps the jack or electrodes could be
used for output too, to enable the operator to control the drone thru
neural control. Otherwise, the operator would have to rely upon a
haptic interface for control. An ideal interface would not require the
tele-operator to move their own limbs, so as to avoid fatigue to the
pilot. If such a neural interface was possible, you could have your
pilot lying on a couch wearing VR goggles, and not really moving a
muscle. This could be good for extended missions.
The robot could have armaments built in, or it could use conventional
armaments because of its humanoid shape. Built-in firearms could be
mounted on the head, to allow look-and-shoot ability for the
tele-operator.
A real soldier whose life is under direct threat will naturally
experience panic and other disorienting emotions. But a tele-operator
who is safely away from direct harm may keep a clearer mind during the
thick of the action.
Comments?
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