New Robots Hunt Pirates by Sea

mattnyc99 writes "PopularMechanics.com takes a peek into the growing world of high-tech piracy on the open seas, which the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard are looking to cut off by investing in a new fleet of superfast, gun-mounted unmanned surface vessels (USVs). From the article: "The Interceptor is available now. But the USV market is just getting started: Two months ago, British defense firm Qinetiq debuted its own robotic vessel, the jetski-size Sentry. Among its potential duties is intruder investigation, which could include scouting out unidentified boats, along the lines of the raft that detonated alongside the USS Cole in Yemen, as well as offering a first look at a possible pirate-controlled vessel.""

Keep it a Secret

[failedlogic]

I don't understand the rationale behind this. If these boats are going to patrol the waters for enemy boats, terrorists, or protect troops and the other side hasn't thought of, designed or implemented this idea, why let it out? Don't let the information get out and keep it secret. I understand there could be ulterior motives here, or a company hungry for a large contract. But military spending budgets have lots of room for secret spending.

Snowcrash

[Scrameustache]

First it's unmanned sea vessels, then it's nuclear powered cyborg dogs who dream of flying steaks.

Or, if you prefer reality to science fiction: Robert Work, a retired Marine officer and analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, said piracy is a "persistent threat" that the Navy has worked to address in recent years. [...] "Essentially, you don't want to use a billion dollar DDG [guided missile destroyer] to suppress pirates [military.com],"

Re:Not piracy

[biocute]

I think it still holds true: It's not piracy, it's unauthorized crimes.

Re:Keep it a Secret

[weak*]

...why let it out?

The enemy's perception of threat is almost as useful as a genuine threat. They'll never deploy enough of these things to be 100% effective, so scaring them away is a good strategy.

Autonomous boats sounds like a bad idea

[Cthefuture]

I noticed they were talking some about possibly making them autonomous. That just seems like a really bad idea. What you would have is a weapon system disconnected from command. The enemy could set up a trap for these machines, capture them and then have some high-tech stuff at their disposal. Unlike a UAV, it seems like it would be pretty easy to catch one of these surface machines using any number of methods even if they normally can protect themselves with weapon systems. If they can't protect themselves then it would be even easier to capture them.

Very true, and also...

[caitsith01]

...it's fundamentally unethical, illegal and immoral (depending on your particular morality, I suppose) to allow an autonomous machine to roam free with the capability (and intent) to kill human beings.

For one thing, we read here every day about the endless ways in which software farks up.

Furthermore, I find the whole notion of armed robots cruising around freely in any kind of environment - war zone or not - extremely disturbing. How do we ensure they only kill what we want them to kill? Who is accountable when they do kill things? Does the extra layer of separation between commanding officer and 'target' make it more likely that decision makers will authorise killing?

These toys are very neat from a tech perspective, but they create a perception that killing human beings is like a video game of some description.

Re:Not piracy

[Hijacked Public]

Yes to the first, no to the second.

Essentially the crimes are not authorized unless you fill out the authorization forms first.

And by authorization forms I mean the documents needed to start a corporation.

Or win an election.

Thats how you get authorized.

A tragic error in scale...

[bombastinator]

Hmm... a jet ski sized robot attempting to observe and engage in the open ocean.. I wonder if any of these guys have actually been in the open ocean?

The sea is big people. The waves are big, the wind is big and the ships are big. A really small boat just barely big enough to manage to stay afloat semi-reliably in open ocean is generally 30 feet long or more. They do make them shorter, but generally only as a stunt. What is a four foot tall vehicle going to do against a vessel with steel and concrete sides that reach probably at least 10-15 feet up? These things are going to present about as much threat to the average ocean going vessel as a chihuahua attempting to pee on one's foot.

We also mentioned the sea is big. Average swell depending on area can be 8 feet on a calm day. this means a jet ski about 4 feet high is going to either spend 75% of its time inside the trough of a swell unable to see squat, or skipping along the swell tops in a way that is going to strongly resemble video froma a surfboard cam. Very splashy but not too useful.

As a harbor or shore defense weapon I can see these being possibly quite useful against similarly sized vessels like dinghies and maybe cigarette boats, but anything offshore is unrealistic.

MOD PARENT UP

[SeaFox]

That was great.

I Only read the title, but ...

[kramulous]

OMG! Oh My God! Oh my god, Oh my god, OH MY GOD!!!!!

If this stuff is not what dreams are made of, then I'll eat my eye patch.

Really easy way to deter high-seas piracy

[vudufixit]

It's as simple as amending international marittime law to permit ship crews to arm themselves. A .50 cal deck gun should deter most of the baddies, but the Captain and crew should have sidearms and shotguns for close-in work if necessary.

Re:Keep it a Secret

[mikael]

I read the story about the Killer Robot Cannon [wired.com]. Not sure if the picture is the system is question or if it's a frame from Starship Troopers".

Re:Very true, and also...

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

For one thing, we read here every day about the endless ways in which software farks up

Yes, like this recent case: Robot Cannon Kills 9, Wounds 14. [wired.com]

Re:Sigh. I love American grammar...

[bigstrat2003]

Hate to break it to you, dude, but like any other nation, we have citizens who proofread their work, and citizens who don't. Where do you get off criticizing "American" grammar like it's all one unit?

Re:More than likely the little ships will get pira

[sych]

People supply zombie PCs with electricity and an internet connection because the infection is generally done surreptitiously.

So do the same with the robot boats... hijack them in a way that will go undetected, so whoever owns them will continue to fuel and maintain them for you. Once you've taken over a good number of them, and they're all fueled up, you're ready to strike!

Re:Keep it a Secret

[mpe]

This is about right. If you can have an automated boat loaded with explosives why risk a suicide run.

Only if the robot boat is cheaper than a regular boat and a fool.