"For example, suppose that the West could ship a component that Iran uses in its nuclear program and this component could spoil Iran’s enriched uranium."
I had to refresh my memory of Stuxnet, the malware which infected Iran's enrichment program and destroyed centrifuges. What I found does not say how Stuxnet was infiltrated into their air-gapped enrichment center. I had vague memories that Iran employees brought infected components into their center. But maybe it was just a USB stick.
There are a number of clever answers to the battery issue, some of which are fairly old, and these usually work best in urban areas. There are various kinds of wireless power transmission tech, which is usually limited to low power applications (including recharge while idle over long periods) and very close proximity, but not always (see: Great Seal Bug) and in the case of Far Field tech like some lasers and focused microwaves. Some devices could get enough power from their own solar cells, others could even perch on a lower voltage power line like birds on a wire (and somehow also connect to ground without getting fried - which is apparently not that easy). The easiest thing would just be to recharge as needed by maneuvering back to hidden, active USB-C power ports, or else "refuel stations" mini-battery swap sites, or "tankers" when provided by other mobile robots.
"For example, suppose that the West could ship a component that Iran uses in its nuclear program and this component could spoil Iran’s enriched uranium. This would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon at least as effectively as bombing its facilities."
This essay focuses on hardware but software is an equally potent modality. The Stuxnet attack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet modified the microcode on centrifuges used by Iran in Uranium refinement.
Good example here
https://open.substack.com/pub/wesodonnell/p/swedens-kreuger-100-drone-hunter
"For example, suppose that the West could ship a component that Iran uses in its nuclear program and this component could spoil Iran’s enriched uranium."
I had to refresh my memory of Stuxnet, the malware which infected Iran's enrichment program and destroyed centrifuges. What I found does not say how Stuxnet was infiltrated into their air-gapped enrichment center. I had vague memories that Iran employees brought infected components into their center. But maybe it was just a USB stick.
There are a number of clever answers to the battery issue, some of which are fairly old, and these usually work best in urban areas. There are various kinds of wireless power transmission tech, which is usually limited to low power applications (including recharge while idle over long periods) and very close proximity, but not always (see: Great Seal Bug) and in the case of Far Field tech like some lasers and focused microwaves. Some devices could get enough power from their own solar cells, others could even perch on a lower voltage power line like birds on a wire (and somehow also connect to ground without getting fried - which is apparently not that easy). The easiest thing would just be to recharge as needed by maneuvering back to hidden, active USB-C power ports, or else "refuel stations" mini-battery swap sites, or "tankers" when provided by other mobile robots.
"For example, suppose that the West could ship a component that Iran uses in its nuclear program and this component could spoil Iran’s enriched uranium. This would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon at least as effectively as bombing its facilities."
This essay focuses on hardware but software is an equally potent modality. The Stuxnet attack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet modified the microcode on centrifuges used by Iran in Uranium refinement.
I don’t think about this stuff very much. Too busy . Thought provoking though .
For more on sleeper sabotage in the US, see https://www.amazon.com/Spyfail-Saboteurs-Collapse-Americas-Counterintelligence-ebook/dp/B0B5SFZZNH
The robots for attack will be like the ones currently made; we just call them Precision Guided Munitions instead of robots.
Definitely need more investment in communications and logistics.