USAF launches Skynet. Soldiers form bonds with their robots? WTF

[bushmeister0]

Here's an extremely disturbing article from livescience.com

Our soldiers are appearenty falling in love with their robots.

"One EOD soldier brought in a robot for repairs with tears in his eyes and asked the repair shop if it could put 'Scooby-Doo' back together. Despite being assured that he would get a new robot, the soldier remained inconsolable. He only wanted Scooby-Doo. . .

. . . The United States has already fielded more than 12,000 ground robots and more than 7,000 flying drones in regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Armed drones in particular have proved effective in loitering over target areas for hours until targets come in sight, and then firing their missiles at suspected insurgents - all while being controlled by human operators sitting thousands of miles away in Nevada."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090521/sc_livescience/realsoldierslovetheirrobotbrethren

"Suspected terrorists," being the operative phrase there. What could possibly wrong?

Just one more . . .

"When Singer asked one U.S. Air Force officer about how he envisioned the psychological impact of the drones on the enemy, the officer compared the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants to the human resistance fighters in the 'Terminator' movies - hiding in their bunkers and caves from the technological onslaught . . ."

And Obama thinks some old photos of us torturing people is going to endanger our troops? Think again.

[NeedleCast]

1. Yes, much better to risk soliders hunting through the heavily forested mountains

than to use drones.

[Uncle Joe]

7. In the long run I believe roboticizing the military is a doubled edge sword.

Of course humanity's curse of war has been around since somebody killed somebody else with a rock, stick or bone.

One of the major dynamics against the idea of engaging in war has been the human cost to a nation, this is particularly true now a days on a macro scale in regards to nuclear war.

On a micro scale it was the draft, each individual putting their life on the line and possibly for what they believed was an immoral or unjust war. This has usually been overcome by heavy doses of propaganda; demonizing the enemy; sometimes rightfully so, and entailing glory and/or the prospect of going to heaven/paradise.

We took the draft away, so now the engaged combat forces and their families are more separated from the nation in regards to visible sacrifice for war. I believe this, along with a compliant media dampens the will for protest; or the coverage thereof.

I believe with the elimination of the draft and the continual roboticizing of the military, disengaging the American People from the brutal true face and cost of war; along with it's consequences and sacrifice, voices for peace will in the long run be ever more weakened and or muted as the casualties will most assuredly be on the demonized enemy's side. Sanitized video will be the only footage of the result from any combat.

My conclusion is that making the decision for taking the nation to war will become for some political leaders what playing a console game is to a heavy gamer; this has already been historically true to some extent, I believe roboticizing the military will only make this dynamic more acute. I also believe the long term consequences of such a national mentality will only lead to increasing estrangement from the world at large and thus our enemies will become legion, war in a very real sense will become eternal and eventual defeat because the costs for maintaining such a war will bankrupt the nation, both financially and morally.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Are they self-aware?

[spoony]

3. I agree about the drones, but understand attachment to ground robots

People can form emotional bonds to all sorts of inanimate things, many far less rational than that felt for a device that they spend stressful times with and rely on to get rid of IEDs and keep them safe.

[ContinentalOp]

4. I think i's cool

bring on the robo lovin!

[Vickers]

5. I lost a Leatherman tool that I'd had for over 20 years.

That sucked.

[FranMonet]

6. Don't date robots

this can lead to only one thing dating robots, humans are doomed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu0TXl15PgU

[guitar man]

8. yep

and the logical conclusion sometime in the future:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Wn2wlOwSU