British Army develops AI shotgun drone with machine vision for indoor use
- Reference: 1601403483
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/09/29/british_army_shotgun_drone_ai/
- Source link:
As if that wasn't terrifying enough, the Army is already looking at strapping a chain gun or rocket launcher to its i9 drone instead of the shotguns, [1]according to The Times .
"It is the UK military's first weaponised drone to be able to fly inside, using a combination of physics and AI that allow it to overcome 'wall suck', which causes drones with heavy payloads to crash because of the way they displace air in small rooms," the newspaper reported this morning.
The weaponised craft is said to be loaded with "twin stabilised shotguns" as well as making use of "machine vision" to identify its targets. A human operator will have to press a button to actually fire the shotguns, though that is potentially the least of the civilised world's worries from this thing.
We want weaponised urban drones flying through your house, says UK defence ministry as it waves a fistful of banknotes [2]READ MORE
Assuming that the drone is genuinely capable of firing a shotgun while hovering or in flight, this would mean the "unnamed British company" behind it has overcome some rather large challenges of physics. Basic Newtonian theory tells us that flinging an ounce of lead forwards at great speed causes an equal and opposite reaction backwards. In ballistics this force is called "recoil". It takes little imagination to realise that recoil in a confined space is likely to push a drone backwards into a wall, rendering it useless.
There are two ways of managing recoil. One is to make whatever the gun is mounted to so heavy that it absorbs the entire force without moving. This method works best for things like ballistic missile launchers. The other is to have a compensation mechanism: something that either dynamically absorbs the energy of recoil (i.e. a big spring) or applies an equal and opposite force to the launch platform at the same time as the gun is fired.
The Times ' sole picture of the drone gave away few clues about the gun mount – so it may be able to dynamically compensate for recoil by setting its rotors to full forward power at the same time as a shot is fired. With a shotgun in a confined space not requiring great accuracy, this could be how that problem is overcome – though doing so without the drone losing its stability and crashing just seems unlikely.
The Ministry of Defence is but four years behind Russia in its armed drone endeavours. Back in 2016 a group of students [3]designed an armed drone which first flew in 2019 , though that appears to be an outdoors-only craft. The Belarusian Army also [4]strapped an RPG to a drone in 2018, though footage doesn't show it actually being fired. ®
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[1] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/armed-drone-is-a-real-street-fighter-5j0vvk3vx
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/16/mod_urban_weaponised_drones_tender/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2019/03/30/russia_shotguns_drone/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg6_k6nBn70
[5] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: What could possibly go wrong?
A couple of ounces of something whoompy built into the drone might be just as effective at disabling malcontents..............................
Angel Has Fallen - the film uses this scenario to incapacitate Secret Service Agents protecting the President, of course, this is Hollywood, so they worked sleek and fleek
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6189022/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbGxYoxpPdI
Re: What could possibly go wrong?
Which is, of course, where the MoD got the idea in the fist place.
"I saw it wit me own eyes, Guv'nuh, so I know it wuhks!"
Timing will be critical
"dynamically compensate for recoil by setting its rotors to full forward power at the same time as a shot is fired."
The recoil from a shot gun is all over in less than a tenth of a second. It's likely to take rather more than that time for speeding up the rotors to take effect on the mass of a shotgun-bearing drone, so they'll have to spin up quite a bit ahead of the trigger being pulled. This will cause the drone to lurch towards the "subject" before firing, both providing early warning and spoiling the aim. That's the theory, but let's wait and see.
However, the idea as a whole seems somewhat top heavy. As an engineer I've always considered that the technological arms race has missed a point: the cost of a kill is getting disproportionate.
Re: Timing will be critical
How about having the shotguns mounted below the centre of gravity so that when fired, the drone utilizes the recoil force to rotate about its CG. In effect, firing the shotgun induces a quick forward flip of the drone, allowing time for the rotors to compensate and absorb/dissipate the force.
Re: Timing will be critical
One to the balls, one to the face. I like it.
RE: applies an equal and opposite force to the launch platform
These are twin-linked guns. That implies two, with shared firing. It's possible therefore that they fire in opposite directions simultaneously, cancelling out each other's recoil.
Of course that means being very sure that there is nobody standing in the opposite direction to the target ...
ReCoilLess
There are designs for rifles that allow a huge reduction in recoil AKA the ReCoilLess rifle. Looks like it involves ejecting gasses to the rear or something. Besides it doesn't matter if this drone gets thrown back and damages itself, I'm guessing that once it fires it's primary mission is complete, send in another one.
Please don't tell Boris about this though. The British Army is there to defend from external threats and not some Covidiots that fail to social distance when a little tipsy.Hardly 'blasting enemies of the Queen' lol
Doors
I read in the Times today that this drone is about 1m wide. How is it supposed to get indoors? - surely doors and windows are too narrow/difficult for it to fly through.
Can they just target terrorists with patio doors or conservatories?
Re: Doors
grrrrrrrr,
You may have answered your own question .......* fly through * !!!
Guessing:
One metre wide, twin shotguns with recoil suppresion + Ammo.
Likely lightly amoured so it cannot be shot out of the air too easily (also protects the AI etc).
Powerful engines to support all that weight
Just go straight through the door or window ...... at speed ..... Bang Bang ....... oops Sorry Vicar ..... mumble mumble ... we will try next door :) ;) !!!
Re: Doors
Breonna Taylor, V1.1
Re: Doors
A carefully timed sideways drone flip while in forward flight. Or just shoot the bloody windows out.
Re: Doors
If you are protecting the Queen I don't think being a meter wide is a problem. I doubt the Queen is living in run down hovels with standard sized doorways like the common folk.
Re: Doors
I think they meant protecting the Queen from the enemies that don't live in her house, but elsewhere.
ED-209:
Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply.
Jones:
I think you'd better do what he says, Mr. Kinney.
ED-209:
You now have 15 seconds to comply. You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9.
ED-209:
You have 5 seconds to comply. 4. 3. 2. 1. I am now authorized to use physical force!
What could possibly go wrong?
A couple of ounces of something whoompy built into the drone might be just as effective at disabling malcontents.
If you really want to hurt them, wrap it in a few more ounces of ball-bearings.
K.I.S.S.
Or be like the Americans, and just bomb the entire neighbourhood into dust.