Add Robots to the Long List of Warriors’ Friends

With our focus on consumer technology, we at Trender Research don’t often talk about industrial, government, or military devices (except when we jokingly daydream about flame-thrower equipped Roombas). But in honor of all veterans on this Memorial Day, we take a closer look at military robotics.

An MSNBC article last week talked about how robots are much more prevalent on today’s battlefields. It also pondered why soldiers tend to personify robots, or at least to attach sentimental value to them. The article gives the story of one teary-eyed soldier who brings in a PackBot (from iRobot) for repairs, heart-broken at the shambles his beloved "Scooby-Doo" had become.

Author and defense analyst Peter Singer is quoted in the story: "One of the psychologically interesting things is that these systems aren't designed to promote intimacy, and yet we're seeing these bonds being built with them."

Actually, I am not really surprised by this. For centuries, soldiers have grown attached to, honored, and indeed personified the weapons of war. Favorite swords and revolvers have been heralded by historians and enshrined in museums. Aircraft, ships, tanks, and all forms of armaments have been given nicknames and had their own contributions to various military campaigns cataloged in the history books. So it is only natural that soldiers would add robots to their menagerie of inanimate friends.

The reasons for this have everything to do with human nature and also the unique role that robots play in battle. Humans have long been known to personify the important things in their lives, from cars to plants and of course other living creatures like pets and livestock. The rule is that the more life-like or important the thing is, the more likely we are to give it a name. Since robots are both life-like in terms of mobility (and in some cases personality), and potentially life-saving in their battlefield utility, it stands to reason soldiers would see them as close friends and allies. Under the intense pressure of a firefight, a sniper’s scope, or threat of a roadside bomb, a robot could become a mechanical buddy just as important to the unit as a fellow soldier.

One look at PackBot's FaceBook page reveals the deep reverence veterans have for the robot. The remote bomb-defusing PackBot is part of a growing squad of military robots from iRobot. Other squad members include the highly versatile Negotiator surveillance robot, the portable Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) used to peak around corners and inside buildings looking for hidden threats, and a range of sea-fairing robots for surveillance and detection including the Seaglider, the Ranger, and the Transphibian.

Together with their famous flying brethren, the Predator attack drones, one can easily see how these robots are changing the face of war. Indeed, face to face combat between humans is becoming increasingly rare. The “face of war” is becoming expressionless, metallic. But the face of war can also been seen in the real soldier’s sigh of relief when a roadside bomb is defused by a PackBot, or when a Predator’s Hellfire missile keeps a team of insurgents from planting another one.

War is a horrible thing. Though sometimes necessary, it brings out the worst (hate, destruction) and sometimes the best (self-sacrifice, honor) in human nature. Robots may not make war more humane, but they do have the potential to be life-saving or more lethal in battle. And if this reduces the human cost of war, or draws it to a more rapid conclusion, then that may be a good thing. Until we find a way to eliminate the causes of war, we should hope to have more “Scooby-Doos” falling on the grenade than our loved ones in the armed services.