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| USMC Gladiators to Pack a SWARM |
| 2005-09-16 |
The Thales UK SWARM Remote Weapon System has been selected for the United States Marine Corps Gladiator robot program, following a rigorous competition conducted by General Dynamics Armament & Technical Products (GDATP). As DID wrote in Battlefield Robots: To Iraq, And Beyond:"Carnegie Mellon's 1-ton Gladiator recon robot testbed has longer range, can carry weapons, and is eventually intended to operate autonomously [see related post]. Robots of this kind are important components of the $120+ billion Future Combat Systems program, which has come in for sustained criticism of late." The Gladiator runs on diesel fuel, but can also operate silently in hybrid-electric mode. It's carried in a Hummer, Shadow, or similar vehicle, and driven remotely by a soldier using a Sony PlayStation-like joystick (deliberate choice, they wanted something familiar). The soldier will also wear a special helmet fitted with an eyepiece that serves as a camera, allowing him to see what the robot sees. A team headed by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, including BAE Land Systems (York, PA) and General Dynamics ATP won the $26.4M contract in February 2005, beating out Lockheed-Martin's bid to design, develop and deliver 6 prototype Gladiator vehicles to the Marine Corps. CMU will deliver all prototypes of the three-ton robots by 2007 to the Marine Corps, which could deploy about 200 Gladiator vehicles in combat zones by around 2009 if the prototypes work as intended. Each Gladiator should cost between $300,000 - $400,000. Down the road, the Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) imay be able to carry out search-and-discovery missions in potentially hostile areas, warn dismounted troops of potential dangers ahead such as minefields, craters, trenches and hidden enemy positions, aand alert them to the presence of chemical, biological and nuclear hazards. All it needs now, is a system for mounting and firing various weapons and sensors. Enter Thales UK. Enter SWARM (Stabilised Weapon And Reconnaissance Mount). Remotely-operated weapons systems are a relatively new technology, but there are now several competitors on the market, from the American Recon/Optical CROWS to the Israeli RAFAEL Overhed Weapons Station, et. al. Thles UK's SWARM is a fully armored, remotely operated weapons system capable of taking a variety of different caliber weapons and sensor options. Like its counterparts, it was designed to be reliable, adaptable and low cost. SWARM will generally be fitted with a 7.62mm M240 machine gun and day/night sensors, but grenades, non-lethal "sting balls" or tear gas can also be fitted, as could a chain gun or a 40mm grenade launcher. Down the road, even more ptoent weapons could be added to give the Gladiator a stronger offensive punch. SWARM weighs aproximately 300 pounds, and consists of two main assemblies: the Gun Processing and Interface Unit (GPIU) and the Weapon and Sensor Platform (WASP). If equipped with a standard M240 7.62mm medium machine gun, it can carry up to 600 ready rounds, track at 0.01 degrees/sec., and fire with an accuracy of less than 1.5 mils in a 10-round burst. The SWARM systems will be manufactured at the Thales UK facility in Glasgow, Scotland/UK, where production is about to begin on 35 systems for the British Army's Trojan Engineering Tank. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #15 Remoteman, thanks very much. I had been wondering why something was not happening on the metalstorm front. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-09-16 20:57 |
| #14 If you haven't read the "BOLO" series by Keith Laumer, do so. It's great Automatic Military Robot science fiction (Self Aware Super Tanks) very well thought out. I very highly recomend starting with the "Dinochrome Brigade" stories. latest (So Far) is "Bolo Rising", the wars continue. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-09-16 19:08 |
| #13 RKB, Sweet action brother man. But as you said, "official line." Official line aside, I'm familiar with you geeky types...you boys and girls tinker at home in the garage too, not with GI Joes either I presume. It only takes one access point for an autonomous program to sneak out into cyberspace, and you're familiar with these beasties. You're no doubt also familiar with nano-manufacturing capabilities forecast for 2025 too I assume. Twenty years from now some delivery trucks will show up in a Brazilian rainforest with raw materials for an unknown nano factory operating under an Israeli business shield and before we know it, some damn program has built itself an army of drones? I know, it's far out, but if it can make Schwarzenegger the Governor, it can stand up to the Rantburg litmus test. This shit fascinates me, but science fiction has me jaded against atomic automoton's ruling the planet. And with good cause with the stuff you guys are coming up with. Singularity's and all. Johnny five is Alive. That's all I could think when I saw the pictures on the DoD site. Freakin DARPA. Keep up the good work, but don't tell the machines about my microwave incidents, they may decide to mount a jihad. Ah, the Microwave/toaster rebellion of 2025,the day the poptart stood still. EP |
| Posted by: ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-09-16 17:28 |
| #12 RKB is absolutely right about man in the loop. The safety folks are particularly skittish about armed UGV's (Unmanned Ground Vehicles). Will things change by 2025? Probably, but who knows. Personally, I'm more than a bit skeptical about the selection of SWARM for the Gladiator. If all they are going to use most of the time is the M-240, you sure as hell don't need a 300lb mount. Try more like 60lbs. The Metalstorm technology is great but has huge hurdles to get over before it is put into widespread use. The key problem is that it requires specially modified ammunition, which no one produces except in small handmade lots. Getting a specialized type of ammo past safety and into the logistics train is a very time consuming task. Expensive too. Someone pretty high up is going to have to take a lot of risk for that to happen. No one has yet put their neck out. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2005-09-16 16:53 |
| #11 "Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply." |
| Posted by: ED 209 2005-09-16 16:48 |
| #10 Ah, but can the autonomous Menschonjaeger do a passable scream, that's the question... |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-09-16 15:40 |
| #9 31 knot Arleigh Burke's grand daughter? |
| Posted by: Pheart Jimble7380 2005-09-16 15:07 |
| #8 No, She's Robin K Burke, USMA. I'd link to her faculty bio, but it must be classified. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-09-16 14:59 |
| #7 Are you Sarah Conner? |
| Posted by: hey mo 2005-09-16 14:53 |
| #6 PS: you're on your own wrt your microwave, tho. Slob! LOL ...... |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-09-16 14:04 |
| #5 Elvis, I'm fairly familiar with the planned programs, both for Future Combat Systems and joint procurements. The official DOD line right now is that no weapon will be fired by an autonomous machine without human approval. AI is my research area BTW. |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-09-16 14:03 |
| #4 RKB, Wrong, well right for this particular machine. But I'm talking autonomous, and I'm not talking out of my ass this time, perhaps a first. Let's say that the forseeable future is 2025. The second article I posted could lead you to believe that no such autonomy is intended for these combat robots, but the United States Joint Forces Command (USJFC) says different! http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/storyarchive/2003/pa072903.htm Here is an exceprts from the article produced by the USJFC: Well, get ready. The future may be closer than you think. Project Alpha, a U.S. Joint Forces Command rapid idea analysis group, is in the midst of a study focusing on the concept of developing and employing robots that would be capable of replacing humans to perform many, if not most combat functions on the battlefield. The study, appropriately titled, âUnmanned Effects: Taking the Human out of the Loop,â suggests that by as early as 2025, the presence of autonomous robots, networked and integrated, on the battlefield might not be the exception, but, in fact, the norm. In support of the study, USJFCOM sponsored a workshop at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore July 29 through August 1. The workshop, featuring key speakers who are experts in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, was designed to develop a skeletal operational concept for the employment of autonomous machines and to raise awareness throughout DoD about current robotic technology and itâs future potential on the battlefield. The goal of the study, according to Gordon Johnson, the Unmanned Effects Team leader for Project Alpha, was to articulate a vision for the use of robotic forces and promote the formation of a Department of Defense-level office that will coordinate and integrate efforts across the armed services, ultimately resulting in joint-service development of unmanned effects (UFX), rather than the course of service-centric research that currently exists. âWhat weâve found in the area of robotics, is that the Navy has programs, the Air Force has programs, the Army has programs,â Johnson said. âBut thereâs no one at the DoD level who has a clear vision of where weâre going to go with these things. How do we want them to interoperate? How do we want them to communicate with each other? How do we want them to interact with humans?â âAcross the Department of Defense, people donât really have the big picture. They donât understand how close we really are to being able to implement these technologies in some sort of cohesive way into a cohesive force to achieve the desired effects.â The vision that Johnson wants the study to articulate outlines the many useful capabilities that will be available in robots before 2025. Characteristics of a tactical autonomous combatant (TAC) would include the ability to work in ground, air, space, or undersea environments, and in harsh conditions such as extreme heat or cold. In addition, TACs, unlike humans, would be able to operate in chemically, biologically, or radiologically contaminated environments. âWe call them tactical autonomous combatants because theyâll operate largely autonomously with some limited human supervision,â explained Johnson. âWeâre talking about, where we can and where we have the capability of replacing humans. Weâre not talking about the operational level or strategic level, but at the tactical level, still using humans where we need to. Using adjustable autonomy or supervised autonomy, humans will still have to interact with the machines and help guide them.â The imperatives for the research are broad but basic. First and foremost, national security is an overriding factor. In many cases, according to Johnson, robots will be more capable than humans. They will be more lethal, more mobile, and more survivable. They will have faster reaction times and have more and superior sensing capabilities. They donât have fear, they donât get hungry, sleepy, or tired, and they take humans out of danger. And, from an economic perspective, they are cheaper than humans. âThe robots will take on a wide variety of forms, probably none of which will look like humans,â explained Dr. Russ Richards, Project Alphaâs director. âThus, donât envision androids like those seen in movies. The robots will take on forms that will optimize their use for the roles and missions they will perform. Some will look like vehicles. Some will look like airplanes. Some will look like insects or animals or other objects in an attempt to camouflage or to deceive the adversary. Some will have no physical form â software intelligent agents or cyberbots.â Richards added that technology could currently deliver many of the capabilities that are envisioned as being necessary for robots. Robotic sensing abilities already exceed that of humans. Billions of dollars are being spent to improve and develop mobility, dexterity, power supplies, miniaturization, weaponry and artificial intelligence. Power supplies and artificial intelligence will be among the biggest challenges ahead, but there are others. âThe greatest hurdle is likely to be overcoming military culture,â Richards said. âJust getting present-day decision makers to allow robots to perform some functions that are currently being performed by humans will be difficult. What is interesting is that we are already doing this. For example, Patriot missile batteries, close-in-weapons systems, cruise missiles, and other âsmartâ weapons are already pretty autonomous.â âIt will be difficult to overcome the resistance to replacing human pilots, soldiers, sailors, and Marines with robots. Or, to allow machines to make decisions. The case will have to be made based on the imperatives.â And the clock may be ticking. Perhaps an even larger imperative, according to Richards, is that the United States is not the only nation that recognizes the future of integrated battlefield robotics. âWe believe that other countries or groups will pursue robotics,â Richards said. âWe can be at the vanguard, or we can lag behind and some day have to oppose a lethal robotic force. Better to be in the lead.â End Article Witness these moments folks; this is history in the making. Big decisions will have to be made about this sooner than later, especially regarding the AI developments. Personally I have no problem with robots killing people at Uncle Sam's behest. However, nanotech, biotech, and AI developments and possible integration with these systems does bring cause for the debate. The article that the USJFC produced lays it out there for us, "humans out of the loop". The technobots that only exist in cyberspace scare the shit out of me, they sound like autonomous tactical programs. Maybe the Terminator movies made me paranoid, but I know that my microwave is probably just waiting for its moment of revenge for all the times I didn't cover my plates of food. EP |
| Posted by: ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-09-16 13:44 |
| #3 weapons activation will remain under human control for the foreseeable future. At least until SkyNet comes on-line. |
| Posted by: Steve 2005-09-16 13:41 |
| #2 'autonomous' means, with regard to ground vehicles, primarily being able to navigate challenging terrain without a driver. weapons activation will remain under human control for the foreseeable future. |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-09-16 12:59 |
| #1 Autonomous? Scary thought with the weaponry they will be outfitting these badboys with. Integrated autonomous killing machines linked to overhead gps satellite and multiple drone fed data arrays. I'd rather keep them attached to soldiers than allow them to operate autonomously. The robots can't be trusted. har har. But I can only imagine what these will be capable of outfitted with a bit of whoopass. A 40mm cannon option, I'll take 3. And I can only hope they are using Metal Storm technology as with the Dragonfly armed hunter UACVs. www.metalstorm.com So whoopass! Here's a related story http://webserver.desnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600106780,00.html Enjoy! EP |
| Posted by: ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-09-16 12:48 |