Friday, December 7, 2012

Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Civic Responsibility

       An unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot. They are used usually for missions that are too dangerous for a normal manned aircraft. Another type of robot that is being researched and experimented on are swarm robots. Instead of one giant robot completing a task thousands of tiny robots work together as a whole to complete a task. This would be good for future space exploration since if a few robots fail they still have a higher chance to succeed as a whole (Swarm Robotics.)

       The main reason UAV's are used in the military is because there are a pilotless weapon. The military can go on missions, without sending anyone in, and take out all the risk. UAV's are also being use by some law enforcement agencies and even the department of homeland security. Swarm robotics is the idea of having coordination between many small robots to achieve something as a whole. This is where the idea of nanorobotics comes into play but it is very expensive.

       Some pro's for drones or UAV's in warfare are that they can target and take out enemy leaders without harming a single troop, our troops are out of danger since it is remote controlled warfare, and that it has been working very well since the military started using them. Some con's are that since soldiers are removed from the horrors of war they can make decisions to kill or destroy without any context, and that they can seem cowardly since it isn't facing the enemy directly (Killer Drones.) Some pro's of swarm robotics are that the robots can not fail at a task unless they fail as a whole, and they have a lot of potential in the future. Some con's are that the hardware can be very expensive while the programming can be very challenging.

       I believe UAV's and swarm robotics could play a very good role in our future. When it comes to warfare a lot of lives can be saved by UAV's. When it comes to law enforcement its just another way of public monitoring. Swarm robotics could be used for long term space missions where there is a high chance of failing, or save lives in the future.



Sources:

"Swarm Robotics." What Is & Swarm Robots. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.


"The Pros and Cons of Killer Drones." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

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