New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who's accountable?

[xchrom]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-auto-drone-20120126,0,740306.story


he X-47B drone, above, marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone’s ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently. (Chad Slattery, Northrop Grumman / January 25, 2012)

The Navy's new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It's designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers.

What's even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.

The X-47B marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone's ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently.

Although humans would program an autonomous drone's flight plan and could override its decisions, the prospect of heavily armed aircraft screaming through the skies without direct human control is unnerving to many.





*** THIS is what we should be spending our money on!?!?! things are a mess all over and we need a pilot-less drone?

[n2doc]

1. This is not going to end well for us

[Citizen Worker]

2. Imagine the headline: Pilotless drone goes rogue and bombs...

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Duplicate thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002223884