🚀 go-pugleaf

Chris Spencer wrote:

> Bob wrote:
>> MR Robot wrote:
>> 
>>>2)second of all robots make our life easier, and
>>>they save troops.
>> 
>> 
>> They have saved troops so far.  But if history is
>> any guide, it is only a matter of time before any
>> new weapon is available to both sides.  In the end,
>> robots may prove more useful to the terrorists/
>> insurgents.
> 
> At the risk of sounding Clintonian, this really depends on how you
> define "robot" and "useful". I doubt a robot in the sense of Sony or
> Honda's humanoid models will ever be economically or logistically useful
> to insurgents. However, robots like those used in the military I see as
> having some potential, but these amount to little more than fancy
> radio-controlled cars. It could then be argued that insurgents are
> already using this technology in the form of cell-phones and actual RC
> cars to remotely detonate bombs.
> 
> Typically, terrorists seem to prefer simple, inexpensive technologies,
> which any machine deserving of the term "robot" is unlikely to be. In
> this sense, I don't see "real" robots being any more useful to
> terrorists than tanks or laser-guided missles. The total cost of
> ownership and maintenance is just too high.

Typically, the military doesn't fight terrorists until after they have done
their damage.  Insurgents are a different story--they often _do_ have
sophisticated weaponry.

> Chris

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--John
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