1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. And 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: Julie know it's been in the news recently. Weener's weener. 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: Well yeah, yeah, but but then below the headline, Okay, yes, yes, uh, 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: very important technological advances about drones. Yeah, tiny robots rootsiny 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: robots that could be the the proverbial fly on the 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: wall on the proverbial wall in the room where But 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: we wouldn't necessarily want that. I think that we have 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: enough media streaming about him. We don't necessarily need a 11 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: microdrone hanging out in his bedroom exactly. Yeah. Um, but yeah, 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's The New York Times had a 13 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: great article called war evolves with drones. Some Tinese bugs 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: and also the larger, more conventional drones were recently in 15 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: the news. They were the ones that gathered intelligent on 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: Osama bin Lan's Pakistani hideaway using one of the new 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: stealth drones. Uh So, this is the technology that is 18 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: getting a lot of traction these days, and it's pretty important. 19 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: And the microdrone thing is incredibly cool. And definitely feeds 20 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: into my paranoia about privacy and your paranoia is that 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: tiny robots are listening to every word you say and 22 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: watching you change clothes or something. Yes, yeah, yeah, perv 23 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: tiny probos outside my window wearing little trench coats. Well 24 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: it's uh, it's interesting, um talking about paranoia because Iran, 25 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: that the government of Iran has A has shown some 26 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: paranoid that and I'm not saying it's it's uh, it's 27 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: it's it's bad paranoia because uh that they've they've been uh, 28 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: there've been a couple of stories in the last few years. 29 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: In two thousand eight, they they arrested a quote arrested 30 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: to pigeons that were a suspected of spying near a 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: uranium and richmon facility. And in two thousand seven, fourteen 32 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: squirrels were supposedly captured. That we're armed with state of 33 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: the art espionage equipment, um, which they sound ridiculous arresting 34 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: squirrels and and uh and and pigeons. But but the 35 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: charge was here that these were animals that had been 36 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: geared up with some sort of espionage equipment and were 37 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: being used by an outside force, probably the United States, 38 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: to see what they were doing. So, but imagine that 39 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: that paranoia taking a step farther to where it's where 40 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,359 Speaker 1: it's the paranoia is that the squirrels may not actually 41 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: be squirrels. They may be robots. The birds maybe robots 42 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 1: spying on us. The bugs may actually be robots spying 43 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: on our every move and uh and if and certainly 44 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: if you're a country like Iran, uh, this could be 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: a very well possibility in the near future. Well, and 46 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: also think that the context too, I mean with stuck 47 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: snut in Iran, which we know is the computer virus 48 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: that was developed to essentially like bring down the nuclear capacity, 49 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: shut down the system. So you can understand why they 50 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: might take help look around a park and start to 51 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: get a little bit paranoid about the nearest chipmunk, right, 52 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: especially since this is where the technology has been headed 53 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: and and where it's continuing to to to head with 54 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: with with some real impressive speed. Yeah, and when we 55 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: talk about a drone, let's and particularly a microdrone, let's 56 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: talk about what this is. This is essentially a super 57 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: fancy remote controlled plane, and it's an unmanned aerial vehicle, yes, 58 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: generally with some degree of autonomy. Um, there's a there's 59 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: an important distance. Like the most famous examples are the 60 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: Predator and the and the Reaper, which are have been 61 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: just to stand out aerial drones for the U. S. Military. Uh. 62 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: And we have an article on on both of these 63 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: on the House Stuff Work website. So if you go 64 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: to the House Touff House Stuff Works, go to the 65 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: search bar, putt in Predator or put in a Reaper, 66 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: and you'll you'll get a really nice article. Yeah, and 67 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: it'll tell you everything under the because we're not going 68 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: to really go into the hood with these in this podcast. 69 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: But but they are really cool. Um, I mean just 70 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: the technology, you know, not any judgments on how they're used. 71 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: But but but it's really interesting technology. So uh, it 72 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: basically comes down to all these things are what we 73 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: call in in the loop system. Okay, so they're not 74 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: they're not really robots out there, you know. You know, 75 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 1: you're not creating a machine and saying, hey, go out 76 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: and kill go out and do this job and then 77 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 1: come back and tell me how it went. On the 78 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: other hand, it's not a guy setting there you know, 79 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: uh and controlling it the whole time. It's uh, it's 80 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: programmed to a certain degree. Yeah, it's it's essentially someone 81 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: who's at at the controls to uh, to dictate the 82 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: application of lethal force. Right, So it's kind of a 83 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: hybrid between autonomy and remote control and UH. That's basically 84 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: the state of these U A vise, these UM, these 85 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: amand aerial vehicles that that are out there really in 86 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: most of the skies over military zones that that the 87 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: US is engaged in, that's right, And they're there are 88 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: two different types. There's of surveillance drones, right, and there 89 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: are combat drones with missiles. Surveillance like the UM. It 90 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: would be like a predator just just seeing what the 91 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: ladle land is, right or or in this case what 92 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: we're talking with us and bin Laden used to tell 93 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: where a target is and then the means of reaching 94 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: that target may actually just be troops or Yeah. And 95 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: it's very unusual that they will use a combat drone 96 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: to take out UM like a compound like UM some 97 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: op in lands which they did not, but you know, 98 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: from time to time they've taken out all kind of members. 99 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: If they were say driving UM in a car, you know, 100 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: across the highway or whatever, they would use UM one 101 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: of these drones to blow up the car. But again 102 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: this is unusual. It's more likely used for surveillance. But 103 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: um obviously if it's a combat drone and it's got missiles, 104 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: then there's a higher level of engagement with the person 105 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: was controlling it. Um. So this is from a Wired article. Rather, 106 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: this is from their their Danger Roum, their blog. Um 107 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: it says unmanned aerial vehicles are huge growth industry for 108 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: the US and its closest allies, and the source of 109 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: one of America's greatest military advantages. Starting in the mid 110 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: ninety nineties, the unarmed Predator drone helped the US build 111 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: an unprecedented persistent surveillance system capable of spotting targets around 112 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: the clock. Later, armed with missiles, the Predator became an 113 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: aerial sniper, picking off hundreds of of insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan, 114 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: and Pakistan every year. So the Pentagon has scores of 115 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: communication satellites for linking drones and ground troops and imagery analysts. 116 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: And the Pentagon now has some seven thousand aerial drones 117 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: compared with fewer than fifty just a decade ago. So, 118 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: as you can see, this is a really important part 119 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: of how the US is is uh, sort of trying 120 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,280 Speaker 1: to figure out this war on terror as their calling it, 121 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: and just general security around the world. Yeah, I mean 122 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: the advantages here are huge. Um, just to run through 123 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,720 Speaker 1: a few of them here, I mean most obviously, you 124 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: replace putting a soldier into a dangerous situation and uh, 125 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: and that's why there's there's there's a lot of effort 126 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: towards creating land based drone technology too, and there have 127 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: been a number of these have been tested, but nothing 128 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: is really the standard. It hasn't been standardized in the 129 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: same way that these U A v s or are 130 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: ruling the skies now. Um. Then, but another important thing 131 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: that reduces civilian casualties have used properly and if you 132 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: have sufficient ethical programming developed, which is that's kind of 133 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: like looking forward not so much now. Um. It also 134 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: acts as a looking forward to. It could act as 135 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: a force multiplier where um, you know, we talked about 136 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: this in the loop situation, Man in the loop where 137 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: there's a guy controlling it, uh, you know, and he's 138 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: gonna jump in and you know, do the fine tuning 139 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: or the application of lethal force. But they're they're talking 140 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: about eventually moving it towards a man on the loop 141 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: where you basically have like one guy manning a team 142 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: of robots. Um. So there'd be these like you know, 143 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: maybe six different U a v S mostly doing their 144 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: own thing, with one guy supervising and uh you know, 145 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: jumping into micro manage as need be. But that would 146 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: be a force multiplier because then you have one basically 147 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: have one combat pilot um in like six places at once, 148 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: which um so. And then then there are a number 149 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: of other advantages that that break down to the use 150 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: of robots in warfare, which is, uh, you don't have anger, revenge, hunger, 151 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: fear uh thrown in there with to to modify what's 152 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: going on in the battlefield, um and uh. And it's 153 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: just and they can also generally make faster decisions than humans, 154 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,599 Speaker 1: though that decision making process, of course, is something that 155 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: that requires a great deal of discussion. Yeah, there's been 156 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: a lot of questions ethically around that. Right so, um 157 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: because there's this this growing disconnect between the American public 158 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: and its wars and the drone. Again, the advantages that 159 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,599 Speaker 1: you're not putting anybody in harm's way, at least on 160 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: the American front, right, but there is again, that distance 161 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: between what is you know, what we're actually doing to 162 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: someone else and uh, you know, the decision making process. 163 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: So the farther the distance is, the easier it is 164 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: to sort of make that decision, right, right, It's I 165 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: mean it comes back to the thing where it just 166 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: makes waging war potentially easier and killing potentially easier, because 167 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: I mean, on one hand, like what's the huge um like, like, 168 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,599 Speaker 1: what's the worst thing that an army government engaged in 169 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: military activity wants to see? Uh? And that is uh, 170 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: images of coffins coming home with with dead servicemen and 171 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,439 Speaker 1: women in it. You know, that's just that's like, you know, 172 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,599 Speaker 1: pr nightmare. Things could be avoided. We've seen it, you know, 173 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: banned in the past. But but if you remove that, 174 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: where suddenly nothing there's like no risk to servicemen and women, 175 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: you know, suddenly there are minimal risk, Like like it 176 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: becomes a situation where the fear of one's own death 177 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:06,959 Speaker 1: or the fear of death of of of one's you 178 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: one cares about, or just seeing the carnage you're not 179 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: going to see the carnage on your own side because 180 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: of all these robots. No, But of course the problem 181 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: is is that we've seen this time and again Afghanistan. 182 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: You have clian civilian casualties and um. The reason is 183 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: is that when when you've got this sort of technology, 184 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,599 Speaker 1: it's essentially painting a target, the painting a target with 185 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,679 Speaker 1: a laser. There there's a host of variables that the 186 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: computer has to calibrate the system for. So that includes wind, speed, 187 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: direction and other battlefield variables. So something can go wrong. 188 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: It's very possible in any technology, there's going to be 189 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: a margin of air and deaths are going to happen. Well, 190 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: even if it works perfectly, if you're you're using a 191 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: basically robotic army against human insurgents, humans are gonna die 192 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,559 Speaker 1: on one side and robots will occasionally crash on the other. 193 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: And it's a there's a there's a certain there's a 194 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: large inequity there. Yeah. Yeah, And again the main problem 195 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,839 Speaker 1: here is this question of autonomy as we go forward 196 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 1: with this technology, because it will become more and more autonomous, right, 197 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: this is the idea. I mean, you know, typically technology 198 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: doesn't go backward, right, so if we create a system 199 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: that is more enhanced that it can make more decisions 200 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: than the margin of error could possibly go up. And 201 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:28,719 Speaker 1: we've talked with Dr Arkin from Georgia Tech before, who 202 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 1: is a robotics ethicist and uh in deals with warfare 203 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: and robots quite a bit, and he was talking about 204 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: programming robots with UM the Geneva protocol, right, Yeah, having 205 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: this ethnical ethical governor and the would they would dictate 206 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: how it's going to carry out it's it's military, right, 207 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: which makes sense. I mean, this is a this is 208 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: a good step forward, right because if you can program that, 209 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: if you can give the algorithm for for you know, 210 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: if and then then you can avoid some some of 211 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: the pitfalls. The problem is that people will point out 212 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: is a robots do not have a nuanced ability to 213 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: deal with emotions, and we know that emotions, for better 214 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 1: or worse, can guide our judgment. So you've you know, 215 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: on the one hand, you've got the passion of war 216 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: is reduced with these UM autonomous machines. But on the 217 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: other hand, you know, there's this empathy and so on 218 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: and so forth that sort of makes us humans and 219 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 1: human makes us UM create exceptions, is not there? Yeah, 220 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: And I mean modern warfare, especially such a chaotic situation, 221 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: and we're having there are enough obstacles and just creating 222 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: a robot that can navigate the human kitchen. Yeah, you know, 223 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 1: so it's uh, the the idea of creating a robot 224 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: that could they could seamlessly navigate the environment of war, 225 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: an environment that humans cannot even navigate without catastrophe is uh, 226 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: it is quite a hurdle to overcome. Yeah, and so 227 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:55,440 Speaker 1: but you know, here we've got these micro drones, which 228 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: at this point they're not lengthal right, they're just surveilling. UM. 229 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: So to talk a little bit more about the micro 230 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:07,079 Speaker 1: drones and less about UM drones like the predator, just 231 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,440 Speaker 1: kind of consider this stat again, this is from Wired. 232 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 1: This is since September eleventh, UM, the hours the Air 233 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: Force devotes to flying missions for intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance 234 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: have gone up three thousand one, most of that from 235 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 1: increased operations of drones. Every day, the Air Force must 236 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 1: process almost fifteen hundred hours of full motion video and 237 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: another fifteen hundreds still images, much of it from predators 238 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: and reapers on around the clock combat air patrols. Okay, 239 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: that is a huge amount of data. Now consider this 240 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: micro aviary camouflage, this microdrone, UM, these you know, tiny 241 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: little drones that are being developed and how much data 242 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: they're going to be amassing. But before we talk about that, 243 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: we probably talk about just the micro aviary UM drone 244 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: because it's pretty cool. All Right, we're gonna take a 245 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,040 Speaker 1: quick break and then we're gonna get back to all 246 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:06,439 Speaker 1: of this. So hanging there one second. This presentation is 247 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: brought to you by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow, and we're 248 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: back when we're talking about biomimicry trying to make a 249 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: drone that looks like a bird, flies like a bird, 250 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: or flies like an insect, depending on you know which 251 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: which direction they're going there. But this is fascinating in 252 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: that biomamicry is generally more involved in I want to 253 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: solve a problem, like an engineering problem or design problem 254 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: of some kind, instead of trying to create some sort 255 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: of like reinvent the wheel, I'm just gonna look at 256 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: the way um nature has solved this problem through millions 257 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: of years of evolution, So you know, it's stuff like 258 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: I want to make a swimsuit that allows the swimmer 259 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: to uh to move faster through the water. Uh. Instead 260 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: of just trying to come with something off the top 261 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: of my head, I'm going to look at how shark 262 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: skin has evolved right right, or um or fins. I'm 263 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: gonna look at dolphins and see how they can actually 264 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: like eject themselves into the air and so on and 265 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: so far. We actually have a couple of articles on 266 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: biomimicry on the website. If you go to house stuff 267 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: works dot com and just throw bio mimicry into the 268 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: search bar, you'll find a couple of them. I think 269 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: I may have written two of them. Probably did I 270 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: don't know. Yeah, we're a handful of them. Um. But 271 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 1: from my understanding that they are focusing more on insects 272 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: right now rather than birds. Um. And I'm assuming that 273 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: they've done birds so far because it's very hard to 274 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 1: get you know, smaller and smaller. But birds are a 275 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 1: little bit more difficult to mimic because of their musclature 276 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: and because of the energy it takes to get them. 277 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: That's the interesting thing about this, because most, like I say, 278 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: biomimicry is about I need to solve a problem, so 279 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna see how nature did it right, This is 280 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: more about I mean, there's in robotics, there is that 281 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: there's also a lot of interest in how insects move 282 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: and behave because it's it's a sometimes it's a simple 283 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: cognitive model to look at in terms of how it's thinking. 284 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: And then also like you know, trying to create something 285 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: that's gonna move across the floor. Uh. Some oftentimes, like 286 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: a spider design just makes more sense than trying to 287 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: make it walk like a human. So but but in 288 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: this where they're trying to make a drone resemble the 289 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: animal form. Uh. And certainly when we're talking about something 290 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: that flies, uh, the nature is kind of forced to 291 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: follow this this winged model, this flapping winged model, which 292 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: is really not um all that that that doesn't make 293 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: a lot of sense from an energy standpoint. It's not 294 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: you have to spend a lot of energy to flap 295 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: flap wings, but nature has not yet figured out how 296 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: to evolve the rotor blade, so so that they're they're 297 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: they're forced to flap. Um. But we've all seen stats 298 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: about like hummingbirds, about how much food they have to 299 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: consume and how much energy they blow through to flap 300 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: those tiny wings so fastbeats per minute or something crazy 301 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: like yeah, yeah, like some of them have to go 302 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: into basically a state of hibernation and every night just 303 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: because because they can't burn any more energy. Um, because 304 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: it's not energy efficient. So they're having to when creating 305 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: a flap of flapping winged robot Um, you're you're having 306 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: to pursue u an energy inefficient design when you could 307 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: really make a more energy eficient design being inspired by it. 308 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: They're actually trying to mimic it so that nobody can 309 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: tell that it's an actual robotic hummingbird spying on you, right, Um, 310 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: So it's kind of a disingenuous form of biomimicry. Yeah, 311 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 1: it's interesting. There's that the hummingbird drone that they unveiled. Um, 312 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,640 Speaker 1: it's it's still a prototype, but it can rapidly beat 313 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: its wings and it can propel the at eleven miles 314 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: per hour and even perch on a window. So the 315 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: problem is when you look at it, you know, if 316 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 1: you just kind of if you glance it, didn't really 317 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: look at it carefully. Okay, yeah, there's I see a bird, right, 318 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: But when you look at it, it actually looks really inelegant. 319 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: It moves, you know, kind of awkwardly, it looks mechanical. 320 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: It reminds me completely of Biboo, the owl from Clash 321 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 1: of the Times. Yes, the robotic owl that does the 322 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,280 Speaker 1: which I love, but I don't really think would make 323 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 1: a great microdone right because it's very obvious. Well plus 324 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: the hummingbird drone it says US Air Force on the wing. 325 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 1: It's giveaway. Yeah, a little obvious. Um, but I mean 326 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: they're they're important because these micro jones could be used 327 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: to get a much better view of myriad things like 328 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: natural disasters, floods, fires, Um, you know if the politicians. Yes, Um, 329 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 1: they're used in aerial photography and and they're even used 330 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: in wildlife footage which are seen in nature documentaries. So 331 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: and again, like you know, if a building implodes and 332 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: there's uh, you know a lot of debris. These are 333 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: things that we can use to get a better beat 334 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,719 Speaker 1: on things. It's not just you know, used for warfare. 335 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: So they're really interesting and uh it kind of makes 336 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: me wonder like if one day we're all going to 337 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: have our very own micro own that we use, like 338 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: I don't know, in in conjunction with our an iPhone app, 339 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 1: so that we're on a zip line on vacation, you know, 340 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: you just throw up your microdrone, get some really great footage, 341 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:14,399 Speaker 1: or you leave your microdone behind to attend meetings when 342 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 1: you go out of town. Yeah, I like that. Yeah, anyway, 343 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 1: I digress. We should probably get back to the actual 344 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 1: military military applications of it, because if you if you 345 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: throw it into this this this overall design that is 346 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: this idea of like a robotic military, you can easily 347 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: imagine like the micro Jones sort of doing the first 348 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 1: level scouting and surveillance, and then there's there there's like 349 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,479 Speaker 1: a higher level of surveillance with with larger flying vehicles, 350 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: and then you have the the attack you a these 351 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: little it'll actually hit the target when needed, and then meanwhile, 352 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 1: like all the humans are back at their base. Just 353 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, and they're also I wanted to mention us too, 354 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:56,640 Speaker 1: they're trying to increase the area that they can actually surveil. 355 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:58,879 Speaker 1: And right now they have what is called a soda 356 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: straw view, uh you know with the with the drones, 357 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 1: but um, they're looking at a gorgon stair technology that's 358 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 1: what they're calling it. Yeah, and again that's another great 359 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: band title, right well, and another clash in the Times reference, 360 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: right oh, Because the idea is it's like a lot 361 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,440 Speaker 1: of little straws that are going to be like the 362 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 1: snakeheads on the Medusa. I'm assuming so that are just 363 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: going to freeze the landscape that it's looking at. It 364 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,640 Speaker 1: seems like they we just want to want. They must 365 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: be really into Greek mythology or Clash of the times, 366 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: because it seems like you just wanna, you know, compare 367 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: to the the the eye structure of a fly. Yeah, 368 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 1: I don't know whoever is uh doing all the marketing 369 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: for this really has a good beat on histrionics, I 370 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:41,399 Speaker 1: have to say, because I mean if the the stealth 371 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: drone that was used in Pakistans called the Beast of Kindahar, 372 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,479 Speaker 1: I mean nuts, how do you not love that? Uh? 373 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: But anyway, this gorgon stair technology can capture live video 374 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: an entire city. But that requires two thousand analysts process 375 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: the data feeds from a single drone compared with nineteen 376 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,400 Speaker 1: analysts per drone today. That being side, this is something 377 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 1: technology that's going to be used pretty soon. Um, that's 378 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,640 Speaker 1: not much of a force multiplier. Though if that many 379 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 1: people were required to sift through the data exactly exactly, 380 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: and then again that's you couldn't actually send those people 381 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 1: out to perch on, uh, somebody's shoulder in a war 382 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 1: zone or you know, in an enemy nation's capital. That's 383 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: the rub. We cannot shrink ourselves yet yet yet. But 384 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: of course what does this do. This is kind of 385 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: freaking out some people. Why because this could be used 386 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: for non warfare applications. And in fact, there's a great 387 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,159 Speaker 1: Washington Post article called domestic use of aerial drones by 388 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: law enforcement likely to prompt privacy debate and you know 389 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: how this feeds into my whole privacy thing. By two 390 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: thousand and thirteen, the f A expects to have formulated 391 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: new rules that would allow police across the country to 392 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 1: routinely fly lightweight on armed drones up to four feet 393 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: above ground, high enough for them to be largely invisible 394 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: eyes in the sky. And uh, it's it's cost like 395 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: fifty bucks, so it's really not that expensive. It's actually 396 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: less than a police helicopter. So it's very likely that 397 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: this is going to be used a lot in the future, 398 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: but it can with the The rub is is that 399 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: they can record activities of public below with high resolution 400 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: infrared and thermal imaging cameras. So you'll reach a point 401 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: where someone like people will scattered there like, oh, my goodness, 402 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:24,920 Speaker 1: is a police pigeon. Well it's not. You know, it's 403 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: not a real pigeon, it's it's mechanical. Well this for 404 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: this application, then it will be an actual like says no, 405 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: like drone. But you know, obviously, um, this could become minature. 406 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: It could become cost effective enough to get a micro drone. 407 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: I mean we're talking about that, this is going to happen. 408 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: Who knows about microdrones might be in use all the time. 409 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: What does that mean my bonfire? When I'm playing kumbay 410 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 1: on my guitar, they're going to be seeing that. Nobody 411 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: needs to see that. Now that the the idea of 412 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 1: like a totally automated military like it, it fascinates me 413 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: on two well on multiple levels. But two things immediately 414 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 1: come to mind. First of all, the Dark Crystal. Have 415 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 1: you seen the Dark Crystal? I've not seen the Dark Crystal. 416 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:11,959 Speaker 1: I feel like it comes up there like every want 417 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: someone in our conversations and I have to see it. 418 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: Well it's it's a classic. And but but in this 419 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:19,440 Speaker 1: world of the Dark Crystal, you have the evil Skexies 420 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: who all kind of look like grotesque vultures and in costume, 421 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 1: and you know they're they're cowardly and they stick to 422 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 1: their their castle, and they want to hunt down the 423 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:31,159 Speaker 1: gelf links. Uh, that's their thing and uh. And so 424 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: they send out these like these crystals that are on 425 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: bat wings, the spy everywhere to try and find the 426 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,359 Speaker 1: gulf links. And if they find the gelf links, then 427 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: they send out these giant beetle monstrosities that shamble into 428 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,159 Speaker 1: the village to try and chop them to pieces or 429 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 1: bring them back captive. And so I would hate to see, like, 430 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: you know, our nation follow the skexy model of military 431 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: conguest to where we're a bunch of you know, disgusting 432 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: vulture creatures who just send out are strange creations to 433 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: get what we want from the surrounding world because it 434 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: becomes easier to do so suddenly you need more resources. 435 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: Well I don't have to actually fight a war. I 436 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: just send off these robots to uh to secure it 437 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,359 Speaker 1: for me. It becomes this, you know, kind of a 438 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: robotic surgical colonialism. Um. And then on the other hand, 439 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 1: what happens when you have two opposing forces each with 440 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: a robot military does does war? Ever? End. If too 441 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,880 Speaker 1: robot armies are fighting each other, it becomes who runs 442 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: out of parks first? Right, Yeah, It's interesting because right 443 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: now the United States is certainly on the cutting edge 444 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 1: of this, right, but everybody wants it on the game 445 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: and they will and and in fact that the Danger 446 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: Room on Wired talks about how China is actually really 447 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: like a couple of decades behind on this technology and 448 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: they will eventually um catch up. But I mean, for 449 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: right now, you know we're we're the big game changer 450 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,119 Speaker 1: on this, but I mean, this is this is the 451 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: whole thing. I can sure we're game changers now, but 452 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: twenty thirty years from now, how is it going to 453 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: be used against us? And or will it be used 454 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: against us? And that's that's the danger. Whenever you introduce 455 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 1: a new technology, right yeah, you're you're actually essentially introducing 456 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 1: it against yourself at some point. Well I guess I 457 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: just hope that if if if worse came to worse, 458 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: and like the robots of us and the robots of 459 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: China we're about to fight, the Japan's Mecca Godzilla would 460 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: would jump in and just calm everybody down, like like 461 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: pulled up both of its claws and be like, all right, guys, 462 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 1: settle it. Let's settle down. Yeah, yeah, most certainly, and 463 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: then hopefully their technology will have filtered down to us 464 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,400 Speaker 1: and we can all just pull over our vending machine. 465 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: Um cloaks, right that they've developed, Well they're not really cloaks, 466 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 1: but you know what I'm talking to I've told you 467 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 1: about this all right, where you look like a vending machine, right, 468 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: it's actually like this little zip up thing that you 469 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: can have that you erect. You know, it's it's portable, 470 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: you can have it in your backpack, you whip it out, 471 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:58,159 Speaker 1: you set it up like a tent, and all of 472 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,400 Speaker 1: a sudden you look like a vending machine. I see, 473 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 1: that's good. I like I like that use of our 474 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: ingenuity rather than let's figure out better ways to blow 475 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: each other up. But I will say a microdrone app 476 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: would be pretty cool on a zip line, would it? Like, 477 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 1: instead of getting on the zip line, you would sense 478 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 1: you have a microdone who actually filming while you're on 479 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: the microdraze. Well, yes, that would be good. And I 480 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 1: should also also mentioned to the Google CEO. I can't 481 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: remember the name of this cat, but he purchased a 482 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: microdone for his own personal use, which freaked a bunch 483 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: people out because, of course they thought that Google was 484 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,680 Speaker 1: going to start using instead of street view, you know, microdrones. 485 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: Huh well, I would be more concerned if, like it 486 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: seems like the better use of that for a large 487 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:47,880 Speaker 1: corporation would be corporate espionage. Yes, y mm hmm. Well, 488 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: if we see something flying around here that looks like people, 489 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: we will know corporate espionage is going on. Yeah yeah, 490 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: well yeah, so hopefully everybody knows to be a little 491 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: more afraid of that unidentified bug or bird buzzing around 492 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 1: outside the office. Now. Uh so, let's turn our attention 493 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: to a little listener mail. All right, Eric, right, son, 494 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: it says, I just wanted to share a quickie with you. 495 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: It's untrue that the platypus does not get respect. We 496 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: respect the animal. Here in Oregon. The Platypus Trophy is 497 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:20,360 Speaker 1: awarded every year to the winner of the Civil War. 498 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:24,119 Speaker 1: The n c A a rivalry football game held between 499 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: the Saintly, Beautiful and Awesome University of Oregon Ducks in 500 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 1: the Evil, Ugly Vile Oregon State Beavers. Because the two 501 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: team maskets are the Dusk, the ducks and the beavers. 502 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: Someone carved a beautiful wooden platypus that is now used 503 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,160 Speaker 1: as the trophy pome. Well that is pretty awesome. Yeah yeah, 504 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: because it's kind of not really but it's sort of thematic. Yeah, 505 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: nicely done, thanks er. Yeah. So, um hey, if you 506 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,640 Speaker 1: guys want to share anything with us, you can first 507 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: of all find us on Twitter, Facebook. We are blow 508 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 1: the Mind on both of those and uh we populate 509 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,200 Speaker 1: bocos fees with all sorts of cool links and thoughts 510 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: and uh and you know stuff about our upcoming episodes, 511 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 1: and you can always drop us a line at Blow 512 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: the Mind at how stuff works dot com. Be sure 513 00:28:16,119 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. 514 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: Join how Stuff Work staff as we explore the most 515 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow.