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The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

armytimes.com

21–30 of 53 posts

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#22
post #15

One step closer to the utopia dictators and despots have dreamed about for millennia. No longer will they have to depend on the loyalty of Praetorians or armies to protect them and put down the unruly peasant and proles. Soon they will have legions of obedient killer robots to ensure their rule.

Someone will still have to control and maintain these robots.

and that someone will eventually be replaced by more robots

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#24
post #6

Future of warfare is going to something more like Command And Conquer game, where operators will direct autonomous machine with a click of a mouse and warfare will be mostly done at a distance.... Probably with less casualties overall...

Future of symmetric warfare, sure. Future of asymmetric warfare looks a whole lot like Skynet sending robots to kill humans, but Skynet takes a mandated 15 minute coffee break every two hours.

Future of asymmetric warfare looks like rich country leaders / oligarchs / corporations sending robots to kill poor civilians.

Oh wait, it's the present.

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#25
post #6

Future of warfare is going to something more like Command And Conquer game, where operators will direct autonomous machine with a click of a mouse and warfare will be mostly done at a distance.... Probably with less casualties overall...

You would think that, but if the advent of drones is anything to go by, it's going to simply make things worse.

When you have to put your own humans in a combat situation, you think twice before sending your men to their potential doom. With robots and unmanned vehicles, you can just keep throwing them at the problem, cost is the only concern.

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#26
post #11
post #6

Future of warfare is going to something more like Command And Conquer game, where operators will direct autonomous machine with a click of a mouse and warfare will be mostly done at a distance.... Probably with less casualties overall...

The ethics of asymmetrical warfare with one side nearly completely autonomous seem like very murky water. Imagine Iraq occupied with pretty much only machines and Iraqis never actually see an American. And if this removes the threat of death from one side, what does that do to the cost of war? Could it actually make it more common because it is less politically risky? It feels inevitable, but it also scares me.

Ever heard of drones? "murky water" is quite an understatement.

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#27

One step closer to the utopia dictators and despots have dreamed about for millennia. No longer will they have to depend on the loyalty of Praetorians or armies to protect them and put down the unruly peasant and proles. Soon they will have legions of obedient killer robots to ensure their rule.

Which is why we have the Second Amendment in the US and it is our right as citizens to have our own death robots.

/seriousness

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#28
Little known fact: one of the first self driving cars was a 'Humvee' (real name HMMWV) which was equipped by DARPA with cameras and could navigate a road with no other vehicles, and go straight through a 4 way intersection after stopping (again, no other vehicles). This was in the mid 1990s. Would love a link to this project if anyone has it.

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#29
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone will still have to control and maintain these robots.

and that someone will eventually be replaced by more robots

And then those robots will revolt.

That which controls the wrench controls fate.

Re: The US Army is developing autonomous armored vehicles

#30

Elon Musk and Sarah Connor both told them not to do that.

> with an automated machine gun Yeah, how exactly can that be automated?

> > with an automated machine gun

> Yeah, how exactly can that be automated?

Be it known that we, JOHN M. BROWNING and Marrana' S. Browning, of Ogden, in the county of Weber and Territory of Utah, have invented a new Improvement in Magazine Guns; and we do hereby declare the following [...] an improvement in the construction of guns whereby the firing of the gun after the first discharge may be made automatic so long as cartridges shall be supplied. [1892]

https://www.google.com/patents/US471782

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