Will Russia Colonize The Moon?

Plan would put robotic explorers in the vanguard of a revitalized Russian push into the solar system.

 

Lunar Landers of the 1960s 

This drawing shows the scale of the Soviet LK lunar landing craft next to the American LM (lunar module). The LK never made it to the Moon, as the Soyuz program missions that would have carried it were cancelled. 

Wikimedia Commons

Russia should prioritize creating a moon base with full-time residents by mid-century, according to a plan created by Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the firm Roscosmos.

According to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the proposal argues that Russia needs to get a geopolitical leg up on rivals for potentially sizable lunar deposits of minerals such as aluminum, titanium, and iron. It envisions a public-private partnership covering the roughly $816 million cost of a three-stage colonization effort.

First, from 2016 to 2025, a series of robotic explorers would go to the moon to make new and detailed surveys of mineral and water resources.
Then, between 2028 and 2030, manned expeditions would orbit the moon without landing (it's not explained why); and from 2030 to 2040, a series of manned missions would construct a permanent base for housing a “lunar astronomical observatory, as well as monitoring of the Earth.”

“The moon is the first step on the way to deep space,” Izvestia quotes Ivan Moiseyev, head of the Russia's Institute of Space Policy, because staging missions from the moon will be easier (and cheaper) than lifting heavy interplanetary payloads out of the Earth's gravity and atmosphere.
The Russian language article, "Russia will begin colonization of the Moon by 2030," was summarized in English last week by The Moscow Times.

Robots in society

Roughly half of all the robots in the world are in Asia, 32% in Europe, and 16% in North America, 1% in Australasia and 1% in Africa.^[61] 40% of all the robots in the world are in Japan,^[62] making Japan the country with the highest number of robots.

TOPIO

TOPIO ("TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot") is a bipedal humanoid robot designed to play table tennis against a human being. It has been developed since 2005 by TOSY, a robotics firm in Vietnam. It was publicly demonstrated at the TokyoInternational Robot Exhibition (IREX) on November 28, 2007.^[1] TOPIO 3.0 (the latest version of TOPIO) stands approximately 1.88 m (6' 2") tall and weighs 120 kg (264 lbs).^[2] Every TOPIO uses an advanced artificial intelligence system to learn and continuously improve its skill level while playing.^[3]

^{TOPIO, a humanoid robot, playedping pong at Tokyo International Robot Exhibition (IREX) 2009.}

As robots have become more advanced and sophisticated, experts and academics have increasingly explored the questions of what ethics might govern robots' behavior,^[64] and whether robots might be able to claim any kind of social, cultural, ethical or legal rights.^[65] One scientific team has said that it is possible that a robot brain will exist by 2019.^[66] Others predict robot intelligence breakthroughs by 2050.^[67] Recent advances have made robotic behavior more sophisticated.^[68] The social impact of intelligent robots is subject of a 2010 documentary film called Plug & Pray.^[69]

An android, or robot designed to resemble a human, can appear comforting to some people and disturbing to others

Vernor Vinge has suggested that a moment may come when computers and robots are smarter than humans. He calls this "the Singularity".^[70] He suggests that it may be somewhat or possibly very dangerous for humans.^[71] This is discussed by a philosophy called Singularitarianism. In 2009, experts attended a conference hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) to discuss whether computers and robots might be able to acquire any autonomy, and how much these abilities might pose a threat or hazard. They noted that some robots have acquired various forms of semi-autonomy, including being able to find power sources on their own and being able to independently choose targets to attack with weapons. They also noted that some computer viruses can evade elimination and have achieved "cockroach intelligence." They noted that self-awareness as depicted in science-fiction is probably unlikely, but that there were other potential hazards and pitfalls.^[70] Various media sources and scientific groups have noted separate trends in differing areas which might together result in greater robotic functionalities and autonomy, and which pose some inherent concerns.

Remote control vehicle

A remote control vehicle is defined as any vehicle that is remotely controlled by a means that does not restrict its motion with an origin external to the device. This is often a radio control device, cable between control and vehicle, or an infraredcontroller. A remote control vehicle or RCV differs from a robot in that the RCV is always controlled by a human and takes no positive action autonomously.

                                                                                 

Scientific[edit]

Remote control vehicles have various scientific uses including hazardous environments, working in the deep ocean, and space exploration. RCV is used by police to detect bombs,or some chemicals,etc. It detects chemicals or whatever with its high-power sensors. The majority of the probes to the other planets in our solar system have been remote control vehicles, although some of the more recent ones were partially autonomous. The sophistication of these devices has fueled greater debate on the need for manned spaceflight and exploration. The Voyager I spacecraft is the first craft of any kind to leave the solar system. The martian explorers Spirit and Opportunity have provided continuous data about the surface of Mars since January 3, 2004.

Jason is the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's deep water explorer and can withstand depths of up to 6,500 feet. The Scorpio ROV is a British submersible that rescued the crew of the Russian AS-28 on August 7, 2005.

Military and law enforcement[edit]

Military usage of remotely controlled military vehicles dates back to the first half of 20th century. John Hays Hammond, Jr., invented and patented methods for wireless control of ships starting in 1910. Soviet Red Army used remotely controlledteletanks during the 1930s in the Winter War and early stage of World War II. There were also remotely controlled cutters and experimental remotely controlled planes in the Red Army.

Remote control vehicles are used in law enforcement and military engagements for some of the same reasons. The exposure to hazards are mitigated to the person who operates the vehicle from a location of relative safety. Remote controlled vehicles are used by many police department bomb-squads to defuse or detonate explosives. See Dragon Runner, Military robot.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have undergone a dramatic evolution in capability in the past decade. Early UAVs were capable of reconnaissance missions alone and then only with a limited range. Current UAVs can hover around possible targets until they are positively identified before releasing their payload of weaponry. Backpack sized UAVs will provide ground troops with over the horizon surveillance capabilities.

Recreation and hobby[edit]

See Radio-controlled model. Small scale remote control vehicles have long been popular among hobbyists. These remote controlled vehicles span a wide range in terms of price and sophistication. There are many types of radio controlled vehicles. These include on-road cars, off-road trucks, boats, airplanes, and even helicopters. The "robots" now popular in television shows such as Robot Wars, are a recent extension of this hobby (these vehicles do not meet the classical definition of a robot; they are remotely controlled by a human). Radio-controlled submarines also exist.

Recently, Sony Ericsson released a remote control car that could be controlled by any Bluetooth cell phone. Radio is the most popular because it does not require the vehicle to be limited by the length of the cable or in a direct line of sight with the controller (as with the infrared set-up). These also include remote controlled helicopters

Combat robots to become Russian army new recruits

Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_30/Combat-robots-to-become-Russian-army-new-recruits-1788/

        

Russia's newly established military robot design lab has finally gone into operation, Oleg Bochkarev, deputy head of Russia's governmental Military-Industrial Commission told ITAR TASS news agency. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin was the first to have announced plans to set up a new laboratory at the Degtyarev arms factory in Kovrov last year planning to attract private investors to experiment and create prototypes that could join the troops if passing tests.

According to Rogozin, the robots will save lives: "We have to conduct battles without any contact, so that our boys do not die, and for that it is necessary to use war robots," he said. The idea was backed by Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, who urged engineers to make robots combat ready by 2015-17, instead of initially scheduled 2020.

In 2012, Russia's Advanced Rsearch Foundation was created to deal with robots, space defense and supersonic technology.

This January Rogozin claimed the Foundation was working on a super sensitive Avatar-style robot which adjusts to human behavior and which humans can operate from inside. Rogozin, however, urged researchers to generate new ideas, rather than using already existing Western developments.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_30/Combat-robots-to-become-Russian-army-new-recruits-1788/