Boston Dynamics' New Robot Makes Soldiers Obsolete, Here's Why

Military robotics technology is not far behind as our world becomes more advanced. If you have seen Corridor Digital's parody video, you may know what the future will look like. Don't worry, the realism of that video is a testament to the advancements in visual effects at the Los Angeles production studio, and not necessarily robotics. But to be honest, we are not far behind, and in this video we will explore a company and its line of robots that are leading the charge to make soldiers obsolete. If you haven't heard the name before, you may be surprised to know that a company is leading the charge in this area. They are called Boston Dynamics. Atlas is the culmination of over a decade of hydraulic humanoid robotics work at Boston Dynamics. A leading robotics research and development company in America, they have been exploring how the military can benefit from robotics and all the ancillary technological innovation related to that for a long time. A leading robotics research and development company in America, they have been exploring how the military can benefit from robotics and all the ancillary technological innovation So today, let's take a closer look at this company and its line of robots that will eventually make soldiers obsolete. Boston Dynamics has, over the years, gained popularity by sharing amazing demonstrations of their robots on social media. Even if you're not familiar with the company per se, you'd have definitely seen the video of a dog-like robot being kicked around and carrying heavy loads. The company, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, was initially founded as an offshoot of a In 2013, the company was sold to Google X, an Alphabet Incorporated subsidiary. Four years later, in 2017, the SoftBank Group, based in Japan, bought it. When Boston Dynamics first came into existence, the goal was to improve movement and rough terrain capabilities in robots. Thirty years on, their goal now is to imagine and create exceptional robots that can be Regarded as leaders and pioneers in robotics, with their robots already capable of performing unimaginable feats, Boston Dynamics is surely coming close to achieving its goal. So with the introduction of this mind-blowing company out of the way, let's look at the amazing line of their robots and why we think they will someday make soldiers obsolete. Boston Dynamics Robots Over the years, Boston Dynamics have created and tested many bipedal and quadrupedal robots. Some of their most iconic robots are the Legged Squad Support System, or LS3, a militarized version of Big Dog, their first successful quadrupedal robot. This ruggedized robot is designed to operate in hot, cold, wet and dirty environments. It can maintain its balance with heavy loads on its back under extreme battle conditions, allowing it to be actively tested by the US Army as a squad support element. The next on the list of iconic robots is the Spot Mini, a compact and agile four-legged robot that can scurry around your office, home or outdoors. The Spot Mini takes the experiences learned by Boston Dynamics while developing Big Dog and LS3, and incorporates them into a quiet, all-electric, four-legged robotic dog with astonishing rough terrain mobility and super dog strength. This has already allowed it to be used as a sensing and exploration robot for various civilian and industrial purposes. Then there is Handle, a robot concept that was designed for material handling and efficient warehousing. The research led to the creation of Stretch, a fully automated industrial robot that is currently used for efficient warehouse operations. Finally, there is Atlas, a six-foot bipedal humanoid robot designed for a variety of applications and tasks. I'll talk about Atlas in greater detail later in this video, as this robot is more likely to be the testbed for a future robot soldier. In the last 30-odd years, Boston Dynamics has added many other robots to its illustrious lineup. However, it's impossible to go through them all, as this video will become too long. Although all these robots have one thing in common, they all act as a force multiplier, allowing humans to step back and allow the robot to do its thing. And as Boston Dynamics produce more and more such robots that slowly get integrated into the civilian and military world, the company has also diverted its attention to ethical programming. In the world of robotics programming, Boston Dynamics is the champion of this type of programming, and has heavily invested its resources into its research. If you just learned about ethical programming, don't worry, you're not alone. Ethical programming is a set of principles that encourage programmers to be honest and aware of their responsibility to protect human rights when writing computer programs. When it comes to military robots, ethical programming is what will influence robot decision-making, making it especially important because these machines will eventually be making life or death decisions. Now that we've discussed all the various robotics research championed by Boston Dynamics, let's turn our attention to the robots that will most likely make soldiers obsolete. Atlas Robot Remember when I said I'd tell you more about the Atlas Robot? Well, here goes. The Atlas Robot is Boston Dynamics' best product to date. It's also the most complex and technologically advanced robot in its lineup. When talking about military robots that can do some actual soldiering, Atlas is perhaps the only candidate in the world suited for it. First unveiled in 2013 when it was starting to learn how to walk, the Atlas Robot team has since made great strides. The robot learned to walk just like we all did, by falling a few times before it got it right. And the team has shared their achievements and milestones with us on their social media throughout. Now, the Atlas can walk, run at a speed of 2.5 metres per second, jump, do a backflip, balance on one leg, and even shake its tail feathers. I think that the last bit is the only thing a human can beat it at right now, but Atlas already has the upper hand, because it will keep developing. And maybe one day, it will be the best dancer in the whole world. Before that happens, the Boston Dynamics team plan to have the Atlas Robot drive, climb ladders, put out fires, shut off valves, open doors, and operate powered equipment in environments where humans cannot survive. Because the Atlas was developed to aid emergency services in search and rescue operations, it has the greatest potential for soldiering in the future. Which is probably one reason why US government research agencies, like DARPA, are also said to be heavily invested in this project. Along with its impressive motor movements, the scientists behind the project have also been working on developing a paradigm-shifting neural net AI that powers Atlas. This AI has allowed Atlas to become a self-learning robot, as mentioned earlier with the example of walking. Just like a human baby, Atlas' AI trained itself to walk, run, jump, avoid obstacles, and even help to make decisions based on its environment. With every failure and use case presented to it, the AI learns and tries to extract the most out of its mechanical body. So this robot represents a true synergy between mechanical parts and an AI-powered programmed brain. That's why Atlas can potentially make soldiers totally obsolete in the future. Currently, Boston Dynamics have military contracts under an early adopter package for a few robots in their lineup of robots. More excitingly, some of their robots have already been field tested, with satisfying results. Looks like robots may just join the military sooner than we expected. So let's take a look at the type of robots that are used and can be used by the militaries Type of robots for military There are three types of robots that militaries can choose from. These are automatic robots, automated robots, and autonomous robots. The first type, automatic robots, are robots that respond to external inputs in a mechanical way. These robots have no ability to discriminate the inputs, so they will carry out a command as it was given indiscriminately. They also have no ability to function without those inputs, usually a human being is operating it. This means that these robots need human controllers. They may go out on the battlefield and reduce human soldiers there, but they will need a human being's input in the control room to function. Automatic robots are already highly used by armies around the world. Think of mine-clearing robots or EOD robots that neutralise IEDs and bomb threats. Moving right along, we go to the second type, the automated robots. These are robots that carry out commands in a chronological and pre-programmed manner. Most automated robots are predictable because they are limited by algorithms determining how they operate and behave. This means that automated robots can be programmed to identify enemy forces in a specific manner or even have their path to the enemy camps programmed into their navigation systems. Automatic robots exist in today's armies as well, such as pre-programmed reconnaissance drones that fly without human inputs, or fire control robots that are programmed to spot enemy vehicles and call in the artillery automatically. The final type of robot, the autonomous robot, is the cause of much debate. These are robots that can be programmed to be able to make choices between different options. Even though they are still constrained by their programming, they can exercise independent judgement using high-level artificial intelligence. This is the type of robot that will eventually make soldiers obsolete. Depending on the battlefield scenario and mission objectives, an autonomous robot can decide who may appear as a threat and respond accordingly. They may lead a group of other autonomous or automated robots and accomplish complex battlefield objectives that now require human soldiers. The ultimate form of Boston Dynamics Atlas will fall into this category of robots. Despite its challenges, you can see why the militaries would be interested in such a system. The idea that you don't have to suffer human casualties to achieve some military objective is too alluring for any army command to pass on. That's why we see huge amounts of investments being poured into autonomous drone research as well. Various air forces have already started work in this field with the ultimate goal of creating fully autonomous drones that can fly, detect threats, make decisions and kill without any human interference. Although, there are huge challenges to overcome before any of these systems come online. Not just technical, but also moral and legal. But it's quite a future we're heading towards. So let's end this video by quickly taking stock of the advantages and disadvantages of autonomous robots fighting wars instead of humans. ADVANTAGES Every technological paradigm has advantages and disadvantages. The most obvious advantage here is that robots fighting wars can save countless human lives. They do not possess emotions, so they can't experience fear or trauma. They are tireless and can achieve extraordinary feats of strength that no human being can. They can be sent into terrains and temperatures that no human being can survive, such as nuclear waste areas and extremely hot or cold temperatures. All this means that they can participate in hugely dangerous missions and carry out orders with the same precision every time. Autonomous robots can be updated and upgraded regularly. These soldiers can be upgraded in less time than it would take to train human soldiers. Also, since they are manufactured products, there is the potential for mass production, so replacements should be available at much less cost. But they do come with some disadvantages. DISADVANTAGES As great as those advantages sound, there are a few disadvantages to having autonomous robots in the military. The first and most obvious one is that autonomous robots fully rely on their human programming, so they are vulnerable to hacking. Imagine having your army of robots hacked by the enemy and used against you. Now that's a Terminator-style nightmare waiting to happen. Besides hacking, since they are mechanical things, they can malfunction on the battlefield and fall into enemy hands. Although there is much debate around this, there are potential risks associated with artificial intelligence, especially armed AI that has been let loose on other humans. But even if we assume that the future autonomous robots don't take over humanity, there is still the risk of having the few who control the technology oppress the many who don't have access to it. Now that's a dystopian future that I certainly don't want to see happen. So you see, there are a lot of moral and ethical conundrums, not to mention legal manoeuvring required before humanity is allowed to integrate fully autonomous robots as soldiers in their regiments. However, we as a collective are inexorably heading towards that future. Let's hope that companies such as Boston Dynamics and governments worldwide consider all the possible eventualities and consider all challenges before developing these new robots that will eventually make soldiers obsolete. They definitely have their work cut out for them to ensure that their robot soldiers will value human life even as future wars become more dehumanised. So, what do you think about the future of military robotics? When you imagine autonomous robots as soldiers, do you get excited by the possibility or does it raise more questions than answers? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you enjoyed this video, hit the subscribe button and continue watching the next by clicking on one of the cards on your screen. See you in the next one!