Machine gun-toting drone threatens to change combat forever

Hey, here's an idea: Add artificial intelligence, and this technology
could enable the machines to take over the world. :-(


http://newatlas.com/tikad-gun-toting...ilitary/50946/

Machine gun-toting drone threatens to change combat forever

Rich Haridy Rich Haridy August 17, 2017
Drones with guns are coming
Drones with guns are coming (Credit: Duke Robotics)
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In 2015, a video showing a semi-automatic handgun being fired from a
custom-built drone went viral, raising concerns for authorities,
including the FAA. The development of such a DIY device was only a
matter of time, as was the commercialization of the technology. Now
Florida-based startup Duke Robotics has unveiled the TIKAD, a
custom-built multirotor that can carry and fire various military
weapons, including semi-automatic rifles and grenade launchers.

The TIKAD can mount and fire any weapon up to a weight of 22 lb (10
kg) Duke Robotics envision the system will help reduce both civilian
and military casualties The Israeli military has already reportedly
put in an order A stabilization system compensates for the recoil from
firing a weapon

Duke Robotics is co-founded by Raziel Atuar, a former Special Mission
Unit commander in the Israel Defense Force who was inspired to develop
this drone system after experiencing the difficulty of battling
terrorist agents that operate within civilian populations. As we have
seen in recent years, shooting missiles into populated areas
frequently results in horrific collateral damage.

"The primary solution you are left with is sending in ground troops –
but this shifts the risk to your troops, which often leads to injuries
and casualties," says Atuar. "But, we thought, 'what if there was a
better way'."


TIKAD has been in development for several years and an early
prototype, based on a consumer drone, was successfully deployed by the
Israeli military to take out a target in 2015. Since then, the device
has been refined and a proprietary stabilization system has been
developed to absorb any recoil from the firing of a weapon.

In an interview with Defense One, Atuar states the current device can
carry and fire a variety of different weapons up to a weight of 22 lb
(10 kg), and the accompanying promotional video shows how the drone is
remotely operated. A human still needs to be on the other end to
control the drone and weapon – at least for now.


The idea of reducing both civilian and military casualties through the
deployment of weaponized drones is, on one hand, an appealing
prospect, but it's also undeniable that the idea of a fleet of drones
with machine guns flying through the air is absolutely horrifying.

The company is still seeking investors to expand its operations, but
reports claim the Israeli military has already put in an order for an
undisclosed number of the drones, and the company is pitching the
system to the US military as well.

Take a look at the TIKAD in (mostly computer-generated) action in the
video below.

Source: Duke Robotics


An un-decorated version of the TIKAD The more conventional
camouflage model The device seems to be functional in real life from
the fleeting glimpses in the video A human controller directs the
drone and targeting remotely
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