Robot Technology News
ROBO SPACE
Israel deploys new military AI in Gaza war
Israel deploys new military AI in Gaza war
By Mark Anderson
Tel Aviv (AFP) Feb 10, 2024

Israel's army has deployed some AI-enabled military technology in combat for the first time in Gaza, raising fears about the use of autonomous weapons in modern warfare.

The army has hinted at what the new tech is being used for, with spokesman Daniel Hagari saying last month that Israel's forces were operating "above and underground simultaneously".

A senior defence official told AFP the tech was destroying enemy drones and mapping Hamas's vast tunnel network in Gaza.

New defence technologies including artificial intelligence-powered gunsights and robotic drones form a bright spot in an otherwise dire period for Israel's tech industry.

The sector accounted for 18 percent of GDP in 2022, but the war in Gaza has wreaked havoc with an estimated eight percent of its workforce called up to fight.

"In general the war in Gaza presents threats, but also opportunities to test emerging technologies in the field," said Avi Hasson, chief executive of Startup Nation Central, an Israeli tech incubator.

"Both on the battlefield and in the hospitals there are technologies that have been used in this war that have not been used in the past."

But the rising civilian death toll shows that much greater oversight is needed over the use of new forms of defence tech, Mary Wareham, an arms expert at Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

"Now we're facing the worst possible situation of death and suffering that we're seeing today -- some of that is being brought about by the new tech," she said.

More than 150 countries in December backed a UN resolution identifying "serious challenges and concerns" in new military tech, including "artificial intelligence and autonomy in weapons systems."

- 'Angry Birds' -

Hamas on October 7 launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Hamas also seized around 250 hostages, and Israel says some 132 remain in Gaza including at least 29 believed to have been killed.

Israel's military response has killed nearly 28,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry.

Like many other modern conflicts, the war has been shaped by a proliferation of inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, which have made attacks from the air easier and cheaper.

Hamas used them to drop explosives on October 7, while Israel has turned to new tech to shoot them down.

In a first, the army has used an AI-enabled optic sight, made by Israeli startup Smart Shooter, which is attached to weapons such as rifles and machine guns.

"It helps our soldiers to intercept drones because Hamas uses a lot of drones," said the senior defence official.

"It makes every regular soldier -- even a blind soldier -- a sniper."

Another system to neutralise drones involves deploying a friendly drone with a net that it can throw around the enemy craft to neutralise it.

"It's drone versus drone -- we call it Angry Birds," the official said.

- Hamas tunnels -

A pillar of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to "destroy" Hamas is quickly mapping the underground tunnel network where Israel says the group's fighters are hiding and holding hostages.

The network is so vast that the army has dubbed it the "Gaza Metro" and a recent study by US military academy West Point said there were 1,300 tunnels stretching over 500 kilometres (310 miles).

To map the tunnels the army has turned to drones that use AI to learn to detect humans and can operate underground, including one made by Israel startup Robotican that encases a drone inside a robotic case.

It is being used in Gaza "to enter into tunnels and to see as far as the communication lets you," the senior Israeli defence official said.

Before the war the technology did not allow drones to operate underground because of issues sending images to the surface, the official added.

The conflict has raised human rights concerns but also cemented Israel's status as a world-leading manufacturer of cutting-edge defence systems.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the United States -- Israel's main international ally and provider of billions of dollars each year in military aid -- was training its own soldiers to shoot down drones using Smart Shooter's optic sights.

In late January, three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a base in Jordan.

Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROBO SPACE
Musk says Neuralink installs brain implant in first patient
San Francisco (AFP) Jan 29, 2024
Elon Musk on Tuesday said his Neuralink startup had installed a brain implant in its first human patient with "promising" initial results. The neurotechnology company co-founded by Musk in 2016 aims to build direct communication channels between the brain and computers. The ambition is to supercharge human capabilities, treat neurological disorders like ALS or Parkinson's, and maybe one day achieve a symbiotic relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. "The first human received ... read more

ROBO SPACE
LIDS: The Army's Answer to Evolving Unmanned Aircraft Threats

DARPA's REMA Program Revolutionizes Commercial Drone Autonomy for Military Use

US vows decisive response to deadly drone attack in Jordan

Iraq condemns U.S. drone strike as 'clear aggression,' violation of sovereignty

ROBO SPACE
DLR develops mobile station for Satellite Laser Ranging

ESA shipping container's laser link to space

NASA's New Experimental Antenna Tracks Deep Space Laser

Benchtop test quickly identifies extremely impact-resistant materials

ROBO SPACE
Researchers show classical computers can keep up with, and surpass, their quantum counterparts

Technique could improve the sensitivity of quantum sensing devices

Combining materials may support unique superconductivity for quantum computing

Magnesium protects tantalum, a promising material for making qubits

ROBO SPACE
Ex-regulatory chief, 2 execs indicted in sprawling Ohio nuclear power bribe case

UK eyes Hitachi's Welsh site for nuclear plant: report

Ukraine to build 4 nuclear reactors as war hits power supply

GE Hitachi receives UK government grant for nuclear energy development

ROBO SPACE
Which armed groups in Iraq and Syria are likely in US crosshairs?

U.S. designates Houthis as terrorist organization amid Red Sea attacks

El Salvador court orders ex-president's arrest over 1981 massacre

On anniversary of Lockerbie bombing, Joe Biden says 'pursuit of justice' continues

ROBO SPACE
EU bets on carbon capture to smooth bumpy green transition

UK's opposition Labour Party ditches climate change pledge

EU eyes 90% cut to greenhouse gases by 2040

EU strikes deal on clean tech to compete with China, US

ROBO SPACE
Europe Invests in Thermal Energy Storage Innovation

Scientists in UK set fusion record

New calcium-doping strategy surpasses platinum catalysts in hydrogen fuel cells

Rwanda signs lithium deal with Rio Tinto

ROBO SPACE
BIT advances microbiological research on Chinese Space Station

Shenzhou 18 and 19 crews undertake intensive training for next missions

Space Pioneer and LandSpace Lead China's Private Sector to New Heights in Space

Tianzhou 6 burns up safely reentering Earth

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.