The conference was open to civilians, but explicitly closed to the press. One attendee described it as an eye-opener. The officials played videos of low-cost drones firing semi-automatic weapons, revealed that Syrian rebels are importing consumer-grade drones to launch attacks, and flashed photos from an exercise that pitted $5,000 worth of drones against a convoy of armored vehicles. (The drones won.) But the most striking visual aid was on an exhibit table outside the auditorium, where a buffet of low-cost drones had been converted into simulated flying bombs. One quadcopter, strapped to 3 pounds of inert explosive, was a DJI Phantom 2, a newer version of the very drone that would land at the White House the next week.
It’s debatable how much a “remote controlled helicopters with a camera” should fall under “robotics”; progress in that area seems pretty orthogonal to issues like manipulation and autonomy.
(Though on the other hand modern drones are better at mechanical control “just” remote control: good drones have a feedback loop so that they correct their position)
I think drones will probably serve as the driver of more advanced technologies—e.g. drones that can deposit and pick up payloads, ground-based remote-controlled robots with an integration of human and automatic motion control.
Robotics will get scary very soon. quoted from link:
It’s debatable how much a “remote controlled helicopters with a camera” should fall under “robotics”; progress in that area seems pretty orthogonal to issues like manipulation and autonomy.
(Though on the other hand modern drones are better at mechanical control “just” remote control: good drones have a feedback loop so that they correct their position)
I think drones will probably serve as the driver of more advanced technologies—e.g. drones that can deposit and pick up payloads, ground-based remote-controlled robots with an integration of human and automatic motion control.
But I bet the $5,000 worth of drones doesn’t include the cost of buying armour-piercing explosives.