JAPCC Flyer on Autonomous Systems November 2012
“In three years, Cyberdyne will become the largest supplier
of military computer systems. All stealth bombers are
upgraded with Cyberdyne computers, becoming fully un-
manned. Afterwards, they y with a perfect operational
record. The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes
online on August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed
from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geo-
metric rate. It becomes self-aware 2:14 AM, Eastern time,
August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.”
Quote taken from the movie ‘Terminator 2 – Judgment Day’
Introduction
To overcome current limitations of Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Systems (RPAS), more and more automatic functions have been
and will be implemented in current and future RPAS systems. In
the civil arena, the use of highly automated robotic systems is
already quite common, e.g. in the manufacturing sector. But
what is commonly accepted in the civilian community may
be a significant challenge when applied to military weapon
systems. Calling a manufacturing robot ‘autonomous’ can be
done without causing intense fear amongst the public. On the
other hand, the public’s vision of an autonomous unmanned
aircraft is that of a self-thinking killing machine as depicted
by James Cameron in his Terminator science fiction movies.
This then raises the question of what an autonomous system
actually is and what differentiates it from an automatic system.
Defining Autonomous
Autonomous in philosophical terms is defined as the posses-
sion or right to self-government, self-ruling or self-determi-
nation. Other synonyms linked to autonomy are independ-
ence and sovereignty.
1
The word itself derives from the Greek
language, meaning literally ‘having its own law’. Immanuel
Kant, a German philosopher of the 18th century, defined auto-
nomy as the capacity to deliberate and to decide based on a
self-given moral law.
2
In technical terms, autonomy is defined quite differently from
the philosophical sense of the word. The U.S. National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines a fully autono-
mous system as being capable of accomplishing its assigned
mission, within a defined scope, without human intervention
while adapting to operational and environmental conditions.
Further more, it defines a semi-autonomous system as being
capable of performing autonomous operations with various
levels of human interaction.
JAPCC Flyer
Edition 9
‘Autonomy’ is currently a buzz-
word for unmanned systems
and is wrongly used throughout
the robotic community without
dierentiating or even provid-
ing a deeper understanding of
what the term actually implies.
To make matters worse, civil
industry, military and even the
public have a varying perception
of autonomy.
Machines Do Not Think!
The Contradiction with Autonomous Systems
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