Source: Network
Editors: David, Little Salted Fish
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="91" > At last week's AUSA annual meeting, Ghost Robotics exhibited the flexible and dynamic quadruped robot Vision 60, equipped with a special firearm called "SPUR", with 30x zoom and a range of up to 1200 meters. These configurations and the systems described above were customized by a company called SWORD International. </h1>
AI robots, after all, can not escape the fate of being weaponized.
Last week, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the U.S. Army Association was held. At the meeting, a robot weapon was officially unveiled. The robot, called "Vision 60," was developed by Ghost Robotics and looks like a four-legged robot dog.
It is equipped with a customized firearm developed by Sword International, a professional research and development company for light weapons, called "SPUR", which is designed for unmanned and installed on various robotic platforms.
The "SPUR" firearm on display has a 30x optical zoom function and is equipped with a thermal imager positioned in the dark, with an effective range of 1200 meters.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="90" > robot dog + gun: AI autonomous weapons are about to come out</h1>
Quadruped robots are one of the most interesting technological directions in robotics in recent years. These robots are small and flexible, able to traverse complex environments that render wheeled machines powerless.
Boston Dynamics is the most famous manufacturer of quadruped robots, but the company has a strict policy of firmly opposing the weaponization of its robots. Other manufacturers seem less picky, though.
Although quadruped robots have emerged in recent years for rescue, assistance or recreation, it is clear to everyone that it is only a matter of time before such an alluring cutting-edge technology is made available to the military.
Now that it has officially made its debut at the U.S. military's event, I believe that this day will soon come. The slogan already posted on Sword's website is unambiguous:
"The Sword defense system is the future of unmanned weapon systems, and the future is now."
It's unclear whether Word International or Ghost Robotics is already selling robot dogs and guns together, but it's certain that the day of "packing and selling" will soon follow after the military's event is officially unveiled.
Image source: Sword International
The Vision 60 is built by Ghost Robotics and is powered by a Specially Designed Firearm (SPUR) made by Word International specifically designed for unmanned combat.
In fact, before the annual meeting, the U.S. military had already begun testing robot dogs for patrol missions.
Last year, The 325th Security Forces Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida became the first Department of Defense unit to use quadruped robots in conventional operations.
At present, it is of course the most common application scenario for four-legged robot dogs, but the military and manufacturers are cooperating more to open up other and more application directions, such as as moving signal towers, generating implementation images and videos, defusing bombs, detecting dangerous substances, and so on.
Jiren Parikh, CEO of Ghost Robotics, said in an interview that the robots could patrol the perimeter of the base and travel unimpeded in swampy areas that are "not suitable for humans and vehicles to operate."
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > talk to the CEO of Ghost Robotics</h1>
Over the past few days, Ghost Robotics' quadruped robots have caused some very strong skepticism and opposition on social media because they look too much like potentially lethal weapons.
IEEE Spectrum recently spoke with Ghost Robotics CEO Jiren Parikh to learn exactly what was on display at the American Army Association (AUSA) conference and his thoughts on providing armed autonomous robots for the military.
The first question at IEEE Spectrum was to ask Jiren Parikh to describe how autonomous Ghost Robotics' robots are, as well as how autonomous the loads on the robots are.
Jiren Parikh: "Separating the robot from the load is crucial. The robot's defensive Special Purpose Unmaned Rifle (SPUR) has no autonomy, no artificial intelligence technology, and it must be triggered by humans from a distance."
"Sword's clients include special operations teams around the world, and when Word contacted us through a former special operations team member, the idea was to create a walking tripod concept. They wanted to find a way to keep the person who would have needed to pull the trigger a certain distance from the weapon to minimize the danger they were in. We think it's a good idea."
Jiren Parikh also added: "Our robots are not autonomous either. It is operated remotely by an operator. It does have a sense of object avoidance in the environment because we need it to be able to walk on complex terrain and stay stable, and the operator has the ability to set GPS waypoints so that it goes to a specific location. We support Word just like any other public safety partner and have no intention of selling weapon payloads."
IEEE Spectrum: "Are you worried that displaying armed legged robots will make people feel intimidated and make people less likely to accept them?"
Jiren Parikh: "Yes. But we're going to get used to these robots, like armed drones, unmanned vehicles, they just have to be socialized. If our robot had wheels instead of legs, no one would notice. We just need to get used to robots with legs."
IEEE Spectrum: "What does Ghost Robotics think armed robots should be used and how to use them?"
Jiren Parikh: "I think these robots have a vital position. Every day, soldiers risk their lives to protect us. If they need robots to do their job, if we save a life because these people have our robots when they need them, I think that's something to be proud of."
"So all we've done is allow them to use our robots in military and other government agency applications to prevent our people from being harmed." That's what we're advocating. We all support regulation. We all agree. That's what everyone should do now."
It is worth noting that in an interview with IEEE Spectrum, Jiren Parikh repeatedly mentioned the word "regulation".
In today's rapid development of AI technology, there is still a lot of work to be done to regulate AI technology.
And China is already ahead of the curve.
In 2019, China's National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional Committee released the "Principles of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Governance - Developing Responsible Artificial Intelligence" in Beijing, committed to developing responsible artificial intelligence.
The committee said that in order to promote the healthy development of a new generation of artificial intelligence, better coordinate the relationship between development and governance, ensure the safety, reliability and controllability of artificial intelligence, promote sustainable economic, social and ecological development, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, all parties involved in the development of artificial intelligence should follow the following eight principles: harmony and friendship, fairness and justice, inclusiveness and sharing, respect for privacy, security and controllability, shared responsibility, open collaboration, and agile governance.
I hope that with the efforts of all parties, the day when AI will do evil will never come.
Reference Links:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ghost-robotics-armed-military-robots
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/14/22726111/robot-dogs-with-guns-sword-international-ghost-robotics
https://www.engadget.com/robot-dog-gun-ghost-robotics-sword-international-175529912.html
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