From basement to battlefield: Ukrainian startups create low-cost robots to fight Russia
Struggling with manpower shortages, overwhelming odds and uneven international assistance, Ukraine hopes to find a strategic edge against Russia in an abandoned warehouse or a factory basement.
An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops is leveraging innovation to create a robot army that Ukraine hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians.
Defense startups across Ukraine — about 250 according to industry estimates — are creating the killing machines at secret locations that typically look like rural car repair shops.
Employees at a startup run by entrepreneur Andrii Denysenko can put together an unmanned ground vehicle called the Odyssey in four days at a shed used by the company. Its most important feature is the price tag: $35,000, or roughly 10% of the cost of an imported model.
"Technology leaders to the United Nations and the Vatican worry that the use of drones and AI in weapons could reduce the barrier to killing and dramatically escalate conflicts."
Interesting read, didn't know the Vatican had "technology leaders".
They’ve a (small) army, and a very large intelligence network. Don’t forget the Vatican is basically a nation in its own right.
They’re probably pushing as much influence/manipulation online into elections as any one else is, except maybe Russia, China, Iran and NK
With the most adorable uniforms.
(They are allowed sub machine guns along with those pikes when doing Pope guard duty.)
If you think they’re “just” ceremonial… lol.
Yeah, a large aspect of their duties are protecting the pope but the Swiss guard are all trained by the Swiss army before going to Vatican City.
And while they do chiefly rely on soft power almost exclusively- and by no means are they capable of engaging in actual war fare- they are not incapable of smaller actions.
There’s an awful lot of shadows at the highest echelons of the catholic state (and a shit load of money and loot, too.)
No, not ceremonial, just adorable.
Like I said, they also have sub machine guns.
It’s a little orange, you ask me.
I prefer the beefeater’s:
Though if you want to talk about silly hats… there’s that amusing display at the Pakistan-India border.m, during the changing of the guards.
This is optimal camouflage when hiding in front of a church mural.
On hire.
As apposed to what? Conscription?
More like soldiers than their army.