July 15, 2014 (LocalOrg) - The Pentagon Channel posted a video regarding RIMPAC exercises in Hawaii and the inclusion of walking robots being tested for future combat roles. The title of the video was, "Marines Bring Walking Robot to RIMPAC," and featured a version of what is known as the "Big Dog" robot developed by Boston Dynamics and now owned by IT giant Google. It reportedly can walk up to 20 miles and carry up to 400 pounds without a break.
The inevitability of this technology being developed and used in combat is a certainty. What is not a certainty is whether it is deployed solely by corporate-financier monopolies and a military-industrial complex that represents their interests alone, or takes to a battlefield where such technology has been mastered and democratized by many, creating a balance of power that favors the majority.
It is important that people do not cower and complain in the face of such advances, but take up the challenge of understanding and mastering the technology so that Google, the Department of Defense, and the corporate-financier interests that seek to benefit from a technological divide between themselves and the rest of humanity cannot have their way.
