Marine special forces are testing robot dogs armed with rifles. A human still makes the decision to fire — for now.
The robot that Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is using comes from a company called Ghost Robotics, according to The War Zone. The robots are armed with rifles from Onyx Industries.
You can see the new robot in action here.
Metalhead
I’m not gonna lie — this is pretty creepy. Anyone who’s seen Black Mirror will instantly recognize Metalhead, the killer robots from an episode in 2017.
It’s amazing how quickly science fiction has become an accomplished fact.
But I have to admit this could save our soldiers’ lives. Every loss is a family that will never be the same.
Surely, preventing such losses is something worth pursuing.
What’s more, we’ve been using UAV’s with missiles for years. If we’re okay with that as a society, this isn’t much different.
Defending the Nation That’s Done So Much For Us
Many technology investors refuse to invest in offensive weapons. I think that’s absurd.
Those of us who invest in startups have benefited from America more than almost anyone. And most, like me, never served in the military.
So how can we refuse to help even in this peripheral way? If we don’t invest in offensive military tech, we’re just expecting a free ride.
“Can you go over there and risk your life to protect us? We’d love to help but we’re a little busy making money. Thanks so much!”
My Approach to Military Tech
I wouldn’t invest in something like the Ghost Robotics dog simply because I don’t do robotics or hardware in general.
It’s a tough industry and I don’t know much about it. It wouldn’t matter if the robot were a vacuum cleaner or a weapon.
But if I saw a great piece of software, I’d be happy to make a bet. And that’s true even if the product is used in an offensive way — the OS for the Ghost Robotics dog, for example.
Lowering the Bar to War
I’m all for arming our military, but I do have one concern. Making it easier to attack from far away could make the US more likely to go to war.
Losing our men and women in uniform is a huge disincentive to military action. But if we can strike easily from an air conditioned office in Nevada, we may strike a lot more often.
I think these endless wars weaken our country. They cost a fortune, often kill many innocent people, and turn other countries against us.
So while protecting our soldiers is a wonderful thing, let’s have peace as our goal.
Wrap-Up
If these killer robots save the lives of our soldiers, I say they’re worth building.
Even if we don’t, our rivals will. In fact, China and Russia already have them.
I’d love to see a future where we don’t need weapons and people live peacefully. But let’s be honest — it’s not likely.
Until then, we have to create and invest in weapons to protect ourselves.
What do you think of the Marines’ new robot dog? Leave a comment and let us know!
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