Robots Go to War

Automating the Army: Step 3

Battle Tank

Training robots to roll, tumble . . . and kill

Objective
A fully-autonomous weaponized unmanned ground vehicle-one that can distinguish enemy combatants or vehicles on its own and attack them without direct human command-remains decades away, but analysts are convinced that it will arrive. Such a vehicle will need to be able to differentiate among friendly forces, enemy combatants, and civilians with unquestionable reliability. It will also require the ability to act from mission objectives, combat tactics, and all military protocols and rules of engagement.

Status
A group at Carnegie Mellon University is developing a platform for an unmanned vehicle, Spinner, that could evolve into a weaponized tool. Now in testing [top], Spinner uses long-travel suspension to negotiate brutal terrain. Other visions of the Spinner [above] can recover quickly if tossed upside-down-it will simply push its wheels to what was the top of the vehicle, rotate its gun to the bottom, and then drive off as if nothing had happened.

Automating the Army: Step 4

Going on Foot

Wheels are well and good, but only legged robots will conquer the other half of the Earth's terrain

Objective

Legged robots will be able to dash through the woods and scramble over rough terrain that would stymie most wheeled or tracked 'droids. The challenges are immense. Legged robots must master basic locomotion skills such as maintaining balance and traversing broken terrain.

Status
Boston Dynamics is working on a variety of biologically inspired robots. Two of its four-legged 'bots-BigDog and LittleDog-could become a soldier's best friends."Wheeled and tracked vehicles can get to half of the Earth's surface," says company president Marc Raibert."But people and animals can get just about anywhere on foot."

In Big Dog's case, a gasoline engine powers the hydraulic system that actuates articulated limbs. A gyroscope and other sensors help the onboard computer plot each step. The 'bot relies on feel to keep its balance-if a leg hits the ground earlier than anticipated, the computer assumes that it's either hitting a rock or heading uphill, and BigDog adjusts its gait accordingly. Researchers are also creating robots that mimic geckos, cockroaches, fish and even the slithering movement of snakes.