I think you're thinking of something way more complicated than we are.
I expect you're picturing a fully automated, semi-independent war machine. We, or at least I, are thinking of something like a land-based predator... for now. I don't think anyone plans on loosing the Big Dogs of war just yet, even though we already have robots in Iraq.
Predators are great for blowing up a single truck on an empty road, or hitting an isolated target. The bad guys don't even know the predator is there, so it's easy for them. That's the best kind of fight. On the other hand, having a remote controlled robot try to engage in a complicated, chaotic, and dynamic environment like urban combat where speed and agression is what wins the day is a whole different story. I don't think we're there yet. I don't even think the technology is close to being capable of handling anything like modern combat.
I think we're agreed on one point: The technology isn't there yet.
Where we disagree is that I say it's <5 years away, you seem to be saying it's >5 years away.
Also, I don't expect robots to be doing door-to-doors or high-paced tactical jobs in the next 10+ years. I expect they'll be doing boarder patrol, ambushes, recon (already are), and full-on thunder runs. Basically where the enemy is in a known location, and their mobility is limited. For instance: Enemy units are in bunkers, trenches, or buildings and their movement is being suppressed with direct and indirect fire. It would be dangerous to send in our troops to route them out as there would be lots of incoming friendly fire, but with Battle-Ready Big Dogs the loss of life would be negated, and they could radio back to fire command with their exact locations and intended actions.
As to target acquisition we aren't as far out as you'd suppose. A friend of mine is one of the leading developers of pattern recognition software. Right now the trouble isn't disseminating between a bad guy with an RPG or a Bush, it's telling if the enemy has the safety on or off.
I know there is a lot of advanced technlogy out there currently under development. It's not with a damn if it doesn't work in the field though. The enemy isn't going to sit there and present a nice silhouette. They are going to be moving, taking cover, hiding, etc.[/quote]
These aren't being taken from shilouettes, these are from video and live footage. Gesture recognition software can pick out targets as they move, and much faster than a human can. A computer only needs a few frames of video to make an accurate decision. As I understand it target recognition isn't the problem, it's target acquisition.
I think the technology will be there at some point (for good or bad, it's coming), but it's probably going to be used by humans first. I'm thinking something along the lines of the land warrior system. To place it in geeky video game terms that I like to speak in, I'm thinking something like Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter with a red diamond around the bad guys.[/i]
You are absolutely right.
The 3D GPS battle fields, drone cameras, and the hand-carried rocket cameras, we already have a perfect view of the whole battle field. Put it all together on a TV screen and look like a video game. All they have to do now is create an adequate heads up display that can be worn in to combat and everyone will be seeing red and blue name tags and little blinking arrows. Maybe they'll even use remote controlled IV drugs to give soldiers a "1UP" when they accomplish a mission?
