Air Force Research Lab's vision for military MAVs In a recent
blog post we've asked if autonomous battlefield robots can
behave more ethically than humans. But today's weaponized robots
are not the only ones that raise ethical concerns. The
development of miniature robots will soon allow surveillance to
move out of the cyberspace, bringing privacy concerns to a new
level. A video released by the Air Force Research Laboratory and
published via the Chicago Tribune now shows how the military
envisions the future use of micro air vehicles (MAVs) for both,
surveillance and direct attack missions using chemical or
explosive payloads. The video shows a swarm of MAVs being
dropped out of a high flying airplane and then goes on to
explain how the MAVs could be hidden in plain sight, for example
disguised as flies or doves. It envisions MAVs forming sensor
networks to enhance their sensing and operating capabilities,
and harvesting their energy from the environment including power
lines to extend their mission time ind