We’ve heard about defense-sector robots that can transport supplies and sniff out land mines, but what will military robots of the future look like? Often the topic of art and fiction, the future of robot tech is now also being formally considered by the U.S. Army.
At the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium, leaders spoke of a white paper draft that will address emerging complexities regarding autonomous robot technologies. The general idea of the paper will be to “establish a set of guidelines and principles central to the use of autonomous robots.” Asimov’s Laws IRL?
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, who directs the Army Capabilities Integration Center in Virginia, says “This is a concept paper to think about warfighting outcomes and what robotics will do for soldiers. It will be guiding principles. We might someday come up with IT doctrine and robot doctrine. I am starting out with the idea of having a technology-enabled human.”
The Army’s Multi-Utility Logistics Equipment (MULE), which is set to be deployed around 2015, is currently in prototype—the MULE will be able to navigate terrain and obstacles autonomously, and will boast Javelin Anti-Tank missiles and M240 machine guns. All that firepower with a soulless, robotic finger on the trigger is a bit unnerving. Rest assured that part of the Army’s paper will focus on how a human will always be in control of the killing. How wholesome.

[DefenseNews]