US officials have ordered an investigation into whether China is gaining an unfair competitive advantage in robotics.
The federal government wants to know if secrets have been hacked and are helping to grow the Chinese robot.
At least one Chinese cyber-espionage firm has taken on research from QinetiQ, which works with the Pentagon and was the inspiration for the gadget maker “Q” in the James Bond films.
This week the US -China Economic Security Assessment Committee began looking for analysts to write a report on China's current industrial and military robotics capabilities and how those capabilities came about.
The study will identify the know-how and tools that may have been acquired by China through technology transfer or cyber infiltration.
The committee also intends to assess the potential for China's automation efforts to overshadow similar Pentagon initiatives including "Offset," a Department of Defense research initiative aimed at countering technological advances made by adversaries.
As Bloomberg reported, between 2007 and 2009, attackers linked to the People’s Liberation Army hacked a QinetiQ expert who was working on software embedded in microchips that control the company’s military robots. Shortly thereafter, the Chinese military unveiled a bomb-disposal robot that resembled QinetiQ’s Dragon Runner.
To what extent Chinese robotic technologies rely on US or other imported software, components and technologies is a question that the research will address.
Chinese achievements in self-driving vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and maritime drones are also of interest to the US.
