Military Robotics and Collateral Damage

摘要

We explore a concept of a combined force of air and ground combat robots that could act in a force protection and close fire support roles for a human force. The combat robots would operate primarily in the revenge-fire mode, detecting hostile fire and returning fire in a largely autonomous fashion, rapidly and accurately. Such concepts raise important questions in terms of their impact on collateral damage. In a broader context, western warfare in general places a continuously growing emphasis on issues of collateral damage. Thus, developers of combat robots must seek means to minimize collateral damage, specifically non-combatant fatalities. Planning and control of effects produced by combat robotic force should be focused in equal measure on what is not destroyed as well as on what is destroyed. In this paper, we review emerging concepts of combat robots, propose a model for estimating the risk of non-combatant fatalities, and offer a step toward quantitative comparison of the ratio of non-combatant to combatant fatalities expected in human and robotic engagements. We argue that use of combat robots with the right rules of engagement can dramatically reduce the risk of collateral damage as compared to manned combat operations.