Jeff7
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2001
- 41,596
- 19
- 81
Yes indeed. A laser with less than 1W can ignite paper, and lasers are horribly inefficient.Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Originally posted by: Kadarin
"Phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range. " - Terminator
Only 40 watts? Pfft.
It's all about efficiency.
I'd be more concerned about the future of military weaponry. Robotics will make it possible to cause damage to the other side far more efficiently than may be possible with people. For example, a fighter jet with a robotic pilot could be made to be far more agile than one that requires a human pilot - a robot won't pass out from pulling too many Gs. Other machines used for combat will surely be developed as well.
I was going to say something about using disposable robots in combat, but history shows that power-hungry leaders tend to view their soldiers and civilians as being very disposable.
And no, I don't worry about robots turning against us. Eventually being made sentient, yes. Trying to kill us? No.