The Rise of Robots in Defence

While we're not yet at the stage of lethal military development depicted in the Terminator film series, today's defence strategists are taking a definite step along that path. The rise of robots in defence is a cause for celebration for those in the industry, as well as for ethical concern in others. Advanced robotics projects have been making the headlines, and anyone who's seen the French/English TV version of The War of the Worlds will find the French military's trial robot dog terrifyingly familiar.

Robot manufacturers claim that such robots will never be armed, and will be used only to support and augment human activities rather than as automated aggressors, although this is a fine line that may easily be breached. There are, however, cogent and convincing reasons for deploying robots in defence, particularly regarding the safety and protection of human combatants.

Reconnaissance & Surveillance

The primary function of Spot, the robot dog being tested by the French military, is to reconnoitre, either alone or in company with humans. The yellow quadruped is equipped with cameras and WiFi connectivity, and it runs on rechargeable batteries. It can perform autonomous missions or be remotely controlled, and having four legs means it's able to navigate terrain that would be much more challenging for devices with treads or wheels.

As well as its defence potential, Spot has been used as a survey mechanism to access several hazardous environments, including factories and construction sites as well as underground mines. The main issue found with Spot by the French military test teams was that the batteries tended to run out very quickly and that it was slow compared to human beings, but these are faults that can be remedied.

Drones are a touchy subject, and many people regard them as an invasion of privacy and counter to human rights. Nonetheless, in 2019, the MoD commissioned a "swarm of drones" from a commercial developer to provide the army with greater situational awareness. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as they are officially known, offer cheaper and safer aerial surveillance and reconnaissance than any form of crewed vehicle. They make a lot less noise and often perform the additional function of disorienting or flushing out hidden enemies. Drones carrying out reconnaissance can be very small and discreet, so land can be scouted and troop positions recorded with less notice or danger than when using human personnel.