Self-Learning Robot Aircraft

[Jeff Gerke]

Way cool development here: www.livescience.com/technology/080902-helicopter-robot.html.

The gist is that some Stanford computer engineering students have come up with software that causes a robotic remote-control helicopter to learn how to fly.

The helicopter is controlled by an expert human pilot for some time, all the while recording the movements, position in the air, etc. And then it can take those readings and determine the perfect version of them, and go do them itself.

So...Terminator, anyone?

Be sure to watch the video, too.

Jeff

[Vaporwolf]

Really makes you wonder what the military will look like 50 - 100 years from now. How much of our current science fiction will be science fact.

Also wonder what might happen to a society reliant on robots to fight their battles when they come up against an enemy with strange new jamming techniques that effectively shut down their robot army...

[Jeff Gerke]

Exactly! Bunch of soft civvies who look like the people in Wall-E. The only "soldiers" left would be pasty face computer geeks.

We'd be toast.

[mongoose]

Are you serious?? Even today the conventional infantry is still experimenting with gear and clothing that mountaineers and even hunters quit using 10 years ago, having found better stuff.

Yeah, military spec clothing and gear is good for what it's good for. It's tough, it's versatile, and they can mass produce it for lots of people. But let's face it; crawling through the mud in cotton or even cotton polyester WILL be harder on the physiology than crawling through the mud in a mix of nylon and/or polypropylene. And nylon can be made in a ripstop variety.

All that to say this: If the military is so slow to adopt new stuff for real, how long will it really take for them to give up the whole infantry soldier, "Every Marine a rifle man," thing to robots and the like? Especially after movies like iRobot. No, I don't expect the military to pay much attention to that kind of movie, but when the market is flooded with stories of machines taking over I think the PTBs, or someone, will resist the kinds of change that will result in that eventuality. At least for the next couple of generations.

There will, of course, be prototypes, and R & D people will come up with things that work, but I suspect it'll take a few years for the military appropriations people to approve the adoption of any revolutionary technology.

[Vaporwolf]

What I imagine will actually end up happening is semi-autonomous robots will take over the front-line, first strike roles. They'll be a mixture of remote-control and autonomous. Also will likely find many robots in support roles as ammo carriers, scouts and medivacs.

As far as adapting quickly... there are already a ton of unmanned vehicles being used today. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that in 50 years when the Video Game generations have totally taken over that robots will have a larger role.

[rwley]

When they find one that will give birth for me, let me know. ;D

[torainfor]

Hey, I have one! You know, in my story. On Venus. Actually, it's really kinda Island of Dr. Moreau, so you might not want it...