Not so long ago it was considered a fantasy, but the development of the latest technologies has already made it possible to create combat robots in various branches of the military industry.
Behavioral algorithms are being improved, new materials and manufacturing methods are being introduced. Already, some parts and components of robots are being 3D printed.
But the main "stumbling block" of the use of weapons of a combat robot are three laws of robotics.
Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov formulated them as follows:
A robot cannot harm a person; the robot must obey the person; the robot must take care of its safety, if this does not contradict the first two laws.
Subsequently, Azimov added to them one more, zero, or fourth: a robot cannot harm humanity or, by its inaction, allow harm to be done to humanity.
But we shouldn't forget that there is an alternative to mobile combat robots. And this is the application of remote-controlled robotic systems.
Such systems, I believe, will be easier and cheaper to manufacture. Setting them up will become less time-consuming, and behavioral algorithms will be simplified. But the most important thing is that the decision on the use of weapons will remain with the person (operator). The robot will execute the received order, hitting the target with high precision.
Yes, a highly secure communication channel with a combat module is needed, capable of withstanding modern electronic warfare systems, but this is already the business of techies. At least in the event of a loss of communication with the robot, he will be able to independently return to his base. And the repair will be reduced to replacing mechanisms and servos or rearranging the control and communication unit from one robot to the "skeleton" of the next soldier.
I expect a wave of criticism from readers, they say, we've had enough science fiction.
But here's what the officials think about it.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin suggested recruiting fans of computer games to serve in the army instead of tankers. He wrote about this in his microblog on Twitter. This is how he reacted to the message from Uralvagonzavod, which was engaged in robotizing the Russian T-90 tank. The operator will control the "tank-robot" at a distance of 3 to 5 kilometers.
World of Tanks is a massively multiplayer online game (RPG) dedicated to the war machines of the middle of the last century. In recent years, it has gained immense popularity among gamers. Today, according to the latest data, about 150 million players are already playing World of Tanks. At the same time, not only schoolchildren, adult men and pensioners, but also girls are fighting in the game. “If we take Russia, for example, everyone is playing tanks,” says Viktor Kislyi, the developer of WOT.
According to data from 2016, 33 million players were registered on the RU server. Of these, the share of actively playing players was 3.6 million.
Over the entire period of its existence, the game World of Tanks has brought up more than one generation of top tankers. Game participants unite in platoons and clans, participate in mini-tournaments, regional competitions and on the international arena. The player who really cares about it goes from amateur esports to the pinnacle of skill.
At the same time, the players develop practical skills in tactics, the ability to work in a team, the peculiarities of fighting in urban areas and on difficult rough terrain. Top WOT players could successfully take the seat of a combat operator, and clan players could control a robotic tank platoon. Here I completely agree with Rogozin.
And for the new T-14 tank, the developers of computer games have released the online game "Armored Warfare: Project Armata".
"The conventional" bespectacled man "sits and controls the targets to be hit with his finger on the touch screen, and determines the order of destruction of these targets. The robot wakes up in ambush, identifies the target, if it understands that it is an enemy, gives an indication, killer robots move forward, which turn the enemy column into chips. At the same time, the operator himself is at such a distance that no means of engaging the enemy can not only reach him, but also understand where all this is controlled from. fighting robots Dmitry Rogozin.
He cited the Nerekhta robotic complex as an example.
He also noted that progress will move towards the maximum development of artificial intelligence, robotic means, including unmanned aerial vehicles, and the war of the future will be technological, high-precision and remote.
At the same time, he recalled: "Questions of life and, God forbid, death should be determined by a person, based on the highest goals of protection, defense of the civilian population, the country, its sovereignty. Otherwise, you can get too carried away."
Summing up the above and connecting all the components, we get controllable combat robots, some of the nodes of which will be 3D printed, and a million-strong army of first-class operators able to unite and interact in platoons.
And this is already a whole army, and not one …
In conclusion, a bit of fantasy. I want to share my doubts that arose after reading a science fiction novel. There, the government of one planet had a problem with the search for some important components in the radioactive zone and the shooting of mutants. And they solved it in an ingeniously simple way, organizing everything under the guise of a computer online game, where gamers were looking for different artifacts in the "fairy" wild forest for various bonuses in the game, fighting along the way. They had no idea that they were the operators of real android robots, who did all the dirty and dangerous work for them.
And who knows what (or who) you will actually control, sitting for hours in online games at the computer … The future is not far off!
