

War Machines: Recruiting Robots for Combat - melling
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/science/28robot.html?_r=1

======
swecker
From a technology perspective that's pretty cool. From an ethics perspective,
I don't think it really makes a difference, or will impact the future of war.
It will definitely impact the art of war, but not on how much war we'll have.
There were technically arms races throughout all of history and technology
cannot change that about us. I can imagine a bunch of Englishmen sitting
around thinking about the ethics of war because their buddies just made the
Longbow. I'm pessimistic in believing that no matter what technologies we find
there will always be humans that act like animals, but I'm optimistic in
believing no matter what technologies we find there will always be people who
will stand up for the right. I don't think this will really impact most of our
lives at all..., but they do look really fun.

~~~
vlod
> I don't think it really makes a difference, or will impact the future of war

since the risks of losing your own soldiers is much reduced, you don't think
it's more likely to cause war?

>but they do look really fun.

fun? really? i'm a little shocked that you think it's fun. Aren't we talking
about people dying here? a lot of innocent civilians die during a war, and
that with soldiers on the ground with all the facts.

maybe if we aren't prepared to lose soldiers we shouldn't be there in the
first place.

------
aberkowitz
Only time will tell whether these new developments help limit non-combatant
death.

Nevertheless, this detachment from human death scares me.

------
melling
The one positive note is that a lot of money is being spent on robotics R&D,
which will hopefully have some consumer uses.

~~~
mturmon
But think of the blowback on the discipline of Robotics when the first
human/robot conflicts result in significant human casualties. It might be a
net loss to the profession.

