Forget the Oscars, the event I want an invitation to is the Army's annual mad scientists' ball. That's right, the Army actually holds an an annual conference – formally titled the "Mad Scientist Future Technology Seminar" – that brings together scientists, science fiction writers, futurists, academics and members of the government and the private sector to discuss the military implications of emerging science and technology.
Sounds fun. I mean, where else can you get together to talk about electromagnetic pulse guns, cyborgs and swarming mini-bombs?
According to an unclassified summary obtained by Danger Room, the theme of this year's Mad Scientist confab, held January 20-23, was the "blending" of science and technology in ways that might threaten the United States.
"While there is room for debate about which technologies can and will be blended, what is certain is that the nature of warfare is changing; shifting increasingly from large scale, kinetic soldier-on-soldier operations to decentralized non-kinetic operations reliant upon cyber networks, robotics, and/or electronic media to achieve their desired effects," the summary states. "... While conventional warfare is by no means obsolete, 21st century warfare will be defined by the adversary's ability to blend existing and nascent technologies as a means to resist or disrupt a numerically or technologically superior force."
As the summary notes, advances in robotics will continue, incorporating new improvements in nanotechnology, networking and artificial intelligence. And that could yield deadly new weapons: Participants discussed the possibility of "flooding" future battlefields with swarms of smart, networked explosives that would "have the capability to disrupt tempo and cause severe casualties – a more lethal descendant of today's IED," or improvised explosive device.
And future enemies may do more than try to hack your networks. They might try to target the people on your friend list. "Social networking could make the family and friends of soldiers real targets, subsequently requiring increased protection," the summary states.
Of course, participants couldn't resist looking at another doomsday scenario: electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons, a.k.a. the "e-bomb." As Danger Room readers know, EMP is a burst of electromagnetic radiation that can wipe out unprotected electronics. The effect was observed after high-altitude thermonuclear weapons tests during the Cold War, but the Mad Scientists worry that "advances in miniaturization could produce a hand held EMP gun before 2020."
