In many books, movies and TV dramas that imagined the combat of the future, we have seen the images of robots armed to the full fight each other while the soldiers are relegated to operating the robots from a remote location.
The US Air Force’s tests with robot dogs may be a precursor to such imaginations.
These metallic recreations of men’s best friend was put into action in Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. According to military officials, the robot dogs’ roles are to check for various threats to the base’s security before the soldiers are directly exposed to them.
For instance, the robot dogs were deployed on the outskirts of the base to keep guard of the perimeters while the soldiers were tasked with replenishing their supplies. One sergeant explained how this allows soldiers to both keep close to the aircraft while securing visual of the base.
The introduction of robot dogs is just one aspect of a much larger operation to introduce artificial intelligence for security purposes. Named the “Advanced Battle Management System”, the idea is to use cutting-edge technology to detect and counteract various threats.
In an interview with CNN, one of the higher officials in the USAF who is in charge of introducing these technologies predicted that future soldiers will have to handle a lot of virtual information that AI gathers.
This official further added that digital data and the skills necessary to effectively interpret and understand said data will become a vital strategic resource in future warfare. He went so far as to boldly state that these data piles will become as important as fuels for aircrafts in the future.
Other than the minimum amount of information that has been disclosed to the media, most details about the robot dogs are unknown for security purposes. Only basic facts, such as who manufactures these robots, are known to the public.
Ghost Robotics, which has its headquarters in Philadelphia, said that the advantage of their legged robot models is that its circuitry and overall structure is much simpler and streamlined compared to other models, granting a great strategic advantage to users.
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