"At first I was totally blown away by this! Two thoughts: 1) why do we (USA) need 30 million new immigrants in the next 10 years? and 2) The Z-dude and people like him controlling the robots. A Brave New World, indeed! Qapla'"
Make no mistake, this is the next automated weapons platform. It can go and do things that a drone just isn't capable of and it can be made a lot deadlier than a foot soldier. As the Pittman combat armor has gone silent, I also would not be surprised to find powered armor on the battlefield in the next decade or so. Think Mech Warrior light.
For the first time in human history, we will be able to fight wars without placing real human beings in conflict. Of course, that also means that true AI is also on the way. Artificial intelligence would have a number of military uses. Some of the obvious uses would be EW, C&C of autonomous forces, processing and responding to rapidly changing battlefield conditions, logistics, and even intelligence gathering and cyber warfare.
As I see it, we are on the edge of the technological singularity that will allow machines to begin improving themselves. Autonomous operation is merely the first step. There are also self repairing platforms that operate autonomously, although their repair capabilities are now limited. The only component missing to truly ignite the next step is AI. Just as the nuclear age transformed society, the coming age will be exponentially greater in scope and impact.
The trouble is that we cannot just ignore this eventuality. If society is to progress, we must embrace and guide that process toward socially acceptable goals. If we don't, we will find ourselves as victims of it. We should also be aware that our enemies will find uses for this technology that will not be in our best interests. Changes to the battlefield are rare, but the changes on the horizon are greater than anything in man's experience. We will need to be forward thinking and creative in order to deal with future military requirements.
That's my .02 on the matter.
