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The ordinance is controlled, and without that the system loses a lot of potency. Not to mention that without decent onboard AI, jamming is a pretty good counter

The ordinance is controlled, and without that the system loses a lot of potency. Not to mention that without decent onboard AI, jamming is a pretty good countermeasure since target selection and much of the control input isn't actually done onboard the vehicle. Those seem like pretty large hurdles imo. Edit: and, as others mentioned, goods even tangentially related to defense are routinely controlled. In the extreme case, countries like the US would onshore manufacturing of certain components, acquisition would require licensing, and competing products from overseas would simply be banned.

Teever 3y ago
What is so difficult about creating a small explosive that could take a chunk out of someones neck so they bleed out? > In the extreme case, countries like the US would onshore manufacturing of certain components, acquisition would require licensing, and competing products from overseas would simply be banned. Which parts exactly? the PCBs? The motors? the microcontrollers? the batteries? How would that work exactly? How do you regulate any of this without per component DRM? What would that look like exactly? Would I need a license to buy a child's toy that had a microcontroller in it? Would they nerf microcontrollers for devices like appliances and toys so taht they weren't fast enough to handle the needs of a drone?
- coderenegade 3y ago
  Materials for making decent explosives are usually controlled. If you're talking homemade explosives, you probably aren't getting that on a quadrotor, or if you are, you're seriously compromising its performance. Bullets are controlled through licensing in most first world countries. If you wanted to control components going into homebuilt drones, you would probably target the guidance, since even basic waypoint navigation requires something to tell you where you are in relation to the target. To an extent this is already done with GPS (the true precision was classified last I checked, civilian uses are downgraded), but controlling manufacture and distribution of the stack would shut any kind of home robotics down while leaving a lot of channels untouched. If people wanted PCBs, fine, they just wouldn't be able to get certain sensors on them without a license. You don't need global DRM to control exports. It's routine for some industries. Of course, much of this is besides the point, because if someone really wants to hurt other people, they'll find a way. But the components to build a cruise missile in your backyard not only exist, they're mostly available COTS, but the critical parts like the payload are controlled. In some hypothetical future where AI drones became a threat, you can bet that the critical paths would be identified fairly quickly and locked down.

Teever 3y ago

What is so difficult about creating a small explosive that could take a chunk out of someones neck so they bleed out? > In the extreme case, countries like the US would onshore manufacturing of certain components, acquisition would require licensing, and competing products from overseas would simply be banned. Which parts exactly? the PCBs? The motors? the microcontrollers? the batteries? How would that work exactly? How do you regulate any of this without per component DRM? What would that look like exactly? Would I need a license to buy a child's toy that had a microcontroller in it? Would they nerf microcontrollers for devices like appliances and toys so taht they weren't fast enough to handle the needs of a drone?

coderenegade 3y ago
Materials for making decent explosives are usually controlled. If you're talking homemade explosives, you probably aren't getting that on a quadrotor, or if you are, you're seriously compromising its performance. Bullets are controlled through licensing in most first world countries. If you wanted to control components going into homebuilt drones, you would probably target the guidance, since even basic waypoint navigation requires something to tell you where you are in relation to the target. To an extent this is already done with GPS (the true precision was classified last I checked, civilian uses are downgraded), but controlling manufacture and distribution of the stack would shut any kind of home robotics down while leaving a lot of channels untouched. If people wanted PCBs, fine, they just wouldn't be able to get certain sensors on them without a license. You don't need global DRM to control exports. It's routine for some industries. Of course, much of this is besides the point, because if someone really wants to hurt other people, they'll find a way. But the components to build a cruise missile in your backyard not only exist, they're mostly available COTS, but the critical parts like the payload are controlled. In some hypothetical future where AI drones became a threat, you can bet that the critical paths would be identified fairly quickly and locked down.