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Ask HN: How could military drones visually identify specific targets (enemies)?
I'm seeing these days news about YOLO object detection platform trained with deep-learning. If this is the SOTA of the technology, how could a military drone detect a target autonomously? I mean, how could it differ enemies among civilians, or identify a specific person?
I do believe that autonomously drones will just make kill chain faster, but human intervention will be necessary for ages yet, and cannot imagine how an visual algorithm could differ between a Russian or an Ukranian soldier, for instance.
- PaulHoule 3y agoPlease note that this is by no means a new situation, this weapon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBU-97_Sensor_Fuzed_Weapon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBU-97_Sensor_Fuzed_Weapon contained submunitions that autonomously target tanks, and visual + radar target recognition was a feature in both the Pershing 2 and Tomahawk missiles.
- Jeibros 3y agoOK, but I was thinking about artificial vision algorithms. How can you differ one tank from the other? I'm aware of self-guiding weapons oriented through infrared or radar. The afraid of people is that a drone specifically choose anyone from a big multitude, isn't it? How dare could happen just with visual help?
- rolph 3y agoit isnt just visual guidance. meta data, and geolocation statistics, are quickly analyzed to whittle down all other possibilities, until visual targeting takes over.
- Jeibros 3y agoi think that NATO countries are responsible for all their operations. I also remember that in 2021, a UN report stated that a Turkish drone had killed autonomously to a victim in Libya. However, the company told it was impossible [0] [0] https://ahvalnews.com/turkish-drone/turkish-defence-company-denies-drone-attack-soldiers-libya https://ahvalnews.com/turkish-drone/turkish-defence-company-...
- abudabi123 3y ago> How can you differ one tank from the other? Multipoint sensor fusion contains track-data the autonomy calculates a level of confidence to decide friend from foe in the battlespace? The hole in that idea is the fog of war situation where the vehicle is unable to receive the world update to confidently interpret the moving parts onboard sensors perceive.
- Jeibros 3y agois technology now (Ukraine war, ie) mature enough to be able to do that?