The Killer Robots Filling Ukrainian Skies

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing: The Killer Robots Filling Ukrainian Skies Episode Release Date: November 25, 2024

Hosted by Belle Lin for The Wall Street Journal

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1. The Disconnect Between Smart Appliances and Homeowners

In this episode, Belle Lin delves into the perplexing trend where over half of the Fortune 500 companies utilize Elastic for generative AI solutions, highlighting the evolving landscape of technology in both corporate and personal settings. However, a contrasting narrative emerges in the realm of smart home appliances, where despite the proliferation of internet-connected devices, many homeowners are opting to keep their appliances offline.

Smart Appliances Falling Short

Belle opens the discussion by referencing a WSJ report from the previous year, which revealed that only about 50% of buyers from two major manufacturers continue to keep their smart home appliances connected to the internet. This disconnect raises questions about the actual value these smart features provide to consumers.

Insights from Chris Freeswick

Joining the conversation is Chris Freeswick, Deputy Mansion Editor and author of the WSJ’s Home Onerous column. Chris provides an in-depth analysis of why smart appliances often revert to being "dumb."

"Most smart appliances have whizzed right past smart and circled back to dumb. It's the lack of value provided to the owner in exchange for all the detail and information you have to provide," [04:31] Chris Freeswick explains.

Manufacturer Promises vs. Consumer Reality

Chris scrutinizes the features touted by manufacturers like Whirlpool and LG. For instance, Whirlpool's washing machines come with an "Assign a Task" feature, allowing users to control cycles via a smartphone app and receive notifications when cycles are complete. Additionally, remote-start capabilities for dryers are marketed as conveniences, but Chris challenges the practicality of such features:

"Belle, try to come up with a scenario in which you would want to remotely start your clothes dryer," [02:08] Chris remarks, emphasizing that many features assume a level of connectedness that doesn't align with everyday use.

The Gap Between Tech Enthusiasts and General Consumers

Interestingly, Chris points out that even among home automation specialists—individuals with extensively connected homes including smart thermostats and vacuums—smart appliances like ovens and dishwashers fail to deliver meaningful value. The distinction lies in the seamless functionality of devices like smart vacuums versus the cumbersome integration required for other appliances.

"A very smart dishwasher would load itself, unload itself," [04:20] Chris notes, highlighting the expectation versus the current reality of smart appliance capabilities.

Manufacturers' Motivations

The conversation shifts to the underlying reasons manufacturers persist in developing internet-connected appliances despite low adoption rates. Chris attributes this to a combination of competitive pressure and the allure of data collection:

"There's always this technology arms race. There's also a desire by them to collect our data because they can sell that data and it gives them insight," [05:45] he states.

Challenges Highlighted by Manufacturers

When asked about the obstacles customers face in connecting their appliances, Chris shares insights from his interviews with Whirlpool and LG. Common issues include poor WiFi connectivity near appliances, complicated setup processes, and privacy concerns related to data sharing.

"The lack of value provided to the owner of the smart appliance in exchange for all of the detail and information that you have to provide," [04:53] Chris reiterates, summarizing the core issue.

2. The Rise of Autonomous Drones on the Ukrainian Battlefield

Transitioning from smart homes to warfare technology, Belle introduces a pivotal development in Ukraine's defense strategy: the mass production of autonomous drones designed to conduct precise attacks against Russian forces.

Autopilot Drones Changing the Battlefield

James Marson, WSJ's Ukraine bureau chief, provides a comprehensive overview of how these drones are revolutionizing combat scenarios. Initially, Ukraine deployed First Person View (FPV) drones that required manual operation. However, advancements have led to the creation of drones equipped with terminal guidance systems, allowing them to execute attacks autonomously in the final stages of their mission.

"In the final phase, they're running on autopilot, but the target is selected for them," [09:33] James Marson explains.

Combatting Electronic Warfare

One of the significant challenges faced by Ukrainian drones has been Russian electronic jamming, which disrupts the communication between drone operators and their machines, often leading to unsuccessful missions. Autonomous drones mitigate this issue by relying on onboard systems that do not require continuous external communication, thereby increasing the hit rate and operational effectiveness.

Production Surge from Local and International Companies

James details the rapid escalation in drone production, spotlighting two key players:

1. Veri (Ukrainian Startup): Founded by a 26-year-old entrepreneur motivated by national defense, Veri focuses on producing cost-effective drones using locally sourced components. Their approach prioritizes functionality over luxury, aiming to deploy thousands of units by the end of the year.

   "The most important thing is the cheapest possible equipment that will work, that will do the job," [10:44] James quotes the CEO of Veri, emphasizing their strategy to maintain affordability without compromising mission-critical capabilities.

2. Oterion (US-Based Company): With a history of collaboration with the Pentagon, Oterion offers more sophisticated drones featuring integrated mini-computers and advanced software for guidance, targeting, and secure communications. These drones are more versatile and suitable for deeper strikes but come at a higher cost.

   "There's digital communications which make it much harder to hack or jam," [12:26] James highlights, pointing out the enhanced security features of Oterion’s drones.

Impact and Future Prospects

The influx of these autonomous drones is expected to significantly influence the dynamics of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. With companies like Veri and Oterion scaling up production, the battlefield could see a substantial increase in the deployment of these cost-effective, autonomous systems, potentially altering the balance of power and offering Ukraine a strategic advantage.

"We're going to start to see a big ramp up of these drones arriving on the battlefield and potentially having a big impact," [10:35] James concludes, underscoring the transformative potential of this technology.

Conclusion

This episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing navigates through two distinct yet impactful technology narratives. On one hand, it uncovers the disconnect between the intended sophistication of smart home appliances and their practical utility for consumers. On the other, it sheds light on the pivotal role of autonomous drones in modern warfare, illustrating how innovation continues to shape both domestic life and global conflicts.

Notable Quotes:

• Chris Freeswick [04:31]: "Most smart appliances have whizzed right past smart and circled back to dumb. It's the lack of value provided to the owner in exchange for all the detail and information you have to provide."

• Chris Freeswick [05:45]: "There's always this technology arms race. There's also a desire by them to collect our data because they can sell that data and it gives them insight."

• James Marson [09:33]: "In the final phase, they're running on autopilot, but the target is selected for them."

• James Marson [10:44]: "The most important thing is the cheapest possible equipment that will work, that will do the job."

• James Marson [12:26]: "There's digital communications which make it much harder to hack or jam."

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Produced by Julie Chang with Supervising Producer Kathryn Millsop. Logging off, Belle Lin signs off with a preview of the afternoon's TNB Tech Minute.

Transcript

[Belle Lin]

Why do over 50% of the Fortune 500 use elastic? Because Elastic has done the hard work of making it easier for companies to do generative AI, right. Elastic's search AI helps them make insightful and impactful decisions at speed across search, observability and security. Elastic has the power to take your data into the future. Explore the possibilities of AI with your data at Explore Elastic Code Elastic, the search AI company. Welcome to Tech News Briefing. It's Monday, November 25th. I'm Belle Lin for the Wall Street Journal. Even home automation lovers are shying away from Internet connected home appliances like smart ovens and smart dishwashers. While many smart devices do offer useful features, we'll find out why some homeowners are choosing to keep their appliances off the WiFi. And then autopilot has arrived. On the Ukrainian battlefield, at least tens of thousands of drones that can autonomously carry out their final attacks are being mass produced by suppliers for Ukraine's war effort against Russia. Our Ukraine bureau chief, James Marson, tells us how these robots might impact the war. But first, why do smart appliances continue to be so dumb? Internet connected ovens, microwaves and dishwashers have yet to add much value to homeowners. A WSJ report last year found that only around half of the buyers of smart home appliances from two major manufacturers actually keep them connected to the Internet. For more on why this is and why manufacturers continue to link their appliances to wifi, we're joined by our Deputy Mansion editor Chris Freeswick, who wrote about this for WSJ's home onerous column. Chris, what have the manufacturers touted as some of the benefits of their smart appliances?

[Chris Freeswick]

Whirlpool washing machines had a feature called Assign a task that basically you have to have an app on your phone to run this washing machine, and when the washing cycle is done, the washing machine texts you via your app to let you know that the cycle is done. And then, and I'm quoting, enables you to send a customized text to somebody in your home to tell them to put the wash into the dryer. The other thing that we had touted as a huge benefit was that you could remotely start your clothes dryer. Belle, try to come up with a scenario in which you would want to remotely start your clothes dryer. Someone has just put the clothes into the dryer, and unless you want your clothes to smell mildewy, you pretty much want to start that dryer right away. It's just a litany of things of this nature. Now, to be fair, there are some features that Some of the people that I spoke with said that they have found beneficial or useful in some circumstances. For instance, you can remote preheat your oven if you're, say, picking up your kids and you're running late and you know you need to get your oven started.

[Belle Lin]

It kind of also assumes this futuristic level of connectedness that we're really not quite there yet.

[Chris Freeswick]

What was really interesting to me is that I specifically interviewed people who are super duper home automation specialists. Like, they have so much connected stuff in their home. Smart bidets, smart thermostats, smart, you name it. But the thing they don't have in their, their homes are smart home appliances because they just don't add any real actual value. The sort of value that you get from, say, a smart vacuum, where you set it, you forget it, it learns your house, it does this thing. You actually don't really have to think about it all that much. It kind of is the perfect smart appliance. I spoke with a guy who was a researcher who does market research for IDC who revealed that smart devices sales have been really on the outs for the last three years, since the, the beginning of the pandemic. And he's, you know, he's a very technologically savvy man and he loves a smart vacuum. But he said, you know, I haven't hooked up my smart dishwasher because a really, truly smart dishwasher would load itself, unload itself.

[Belle Lin]

Chris, you say that most smart appliances have whizzed right past smart and circled back to dumb. So what makes these appliances, as you put it, dumb?

[Chris Freeswick]

It's the lack of value provided to the owner of the smart appliance in exchange for all of the detail and all of the information that you have to provide in order to use, in many case, turn on these appliances and use them at all. Some features on these appliances are not available to you unless you're connected.

[Belle Lin]

What did Whirlpool and LG tell you about why some customers aren't actually connecting their appliances to the Internet?

[Chris Freeswick]

The Journal did reporting on this last year when they did a story on the percent of owners of these smart appliances that were no longer connected to the Internet. And at that time, they told the reporter that the reason was because a lot of people's wifi connectivity near the appliances were bad. They were complicated to hook up, or a lot of people were concerned about the privacy issues of divulging all of that information to them. When I reached back out to the two companies that were quoted in that story, LG and Whirlpool. Whirlpool declined to comment, did not want to update the connectivity numbers and LG said that it had compiled data. Unfortunately, it did not get back to me in time for press time.

[Belle Lin]

Why are manufacturers still making these Internet connected appliances?

[Chris Freeswick]

Part of it is that there's always this technology arms race. There's also a desire by them to collect our data because they can sell that data on and it gives them insight not only into who exactly their end customers are, which most manufacturers don't have.

[Belle Lin]

That was Chris Frieswick, our deputy Mansion editor, who also writes WSJ's Home Onerous column. Coming up, we'll take a closer look at the killer robots on the Ukrainian battlefield. That's after the break.

[Chris Freeswick]

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[Belle Lin]

In a frontline dugout this spring, a Ukrainian drone operator chose his target, a Russian ammo truck, by tapping it on a screen with a stylus, then by flipping a switch on his handset. The pilot selected Autopilot and watched as the drone swooped down from a few hundred yards away and hit the vehicle. Ukraine is attempting to use these autonomous computer aided drones to help it combat Russia's huge army. And now Kyiv's drone suppliers are ramping up production. For more on what they mean for the battlefield, we're joined by WSJ Ukraine bureau chief James Marson. James, tell us what's new about how Ukraine's suppliers are manufacturing drones to combat Russia's army.

[James Marson]

So for about two years now, Ukraine has been using explosive drones on the battlefield. They're called first Person view drones, FPVS for short. You have a pilot who wears goggles and uses a handset to guide them, and they can fly up to about 15 miles and strike targets. They carry explosives on them so when they impact, they explode. In recent months, Ukraine has been experimenting on the battlefield. It's been using a technology called terminal guidance whereby the drone has a small computer mounted on it with software that can guide the drone in the roughly 2/3 of a mile from a target. Now this is really important because the main way that the Russians have countered Ukrainian Drones is by using electronic jammers. So these jammers overload the signal between the pilot who has the controller in his hands and the drone itself. So when that signal is overloaded, that can cause the drone to crash and then it won't explode on the target. And this is causing the majority of Ukrainian strikes to be unsuccessful. So you'd get one in three for a good pilot, one in five, maybe a hit rate for an average pilot, and it can get worse. And also depending on the level of Russian electronic warfare in the area. Now if the drone is being controlled by that computer using the software that's loaded onto it, then that isn't a problem because it's being flown. The control and the drone itself, it's all in one place. So there's no signal that can be overloaded.

[Belle Lin]

It sounds like these are automated drones or they're kind of running on autopilot.

[James Marson]

That's right. In the final phase, they're running on autopilot, but the target is selected for them. What's interesting is that this technology has been around for a while. It's been used in much more expensive missiles and things like that. What's really clever about this is it's been shrunk down to a small size and made cheap. The drones themselves cost about $500 to make. You add the computers, the software and other equipment on that gets more expensive depending on which company is doing it. They've been shown to work on the battlefield by several companies. What's happening now is we're starting to see a ramp up of this technology. So I spoke to a Ukrainian company called Veri which is going to start producing, it said, from November, producing thousands of these systems. There's a US based company called Oterion which is going to be delivering tens of thousands of its version of this kind of drone in the new year. So we're going to start to see a big ramp up of these drones arriving on the battlefield and potentially having a big impact.

[Belle Lin]

You told us a bit about the makers of these autonomous or automated drones. Tell us, what is their production process like?

[James Marson]

In our story we mentioned two different companies who come at it from two quite different angles in a way. One of them is a Ukrainian startup that was founded after the war began by a 26 year old who just wanted to do something to help his country, got some of his friends and acquaintances together, realized there was something in drones. And now, you know, all this time later they're creating these autopilot drones and in great numbers, you know, and it's a very dynamic field. So there are lots of drone companies in Ukraine competing with each other for this company. Veeri. What their CEO said to me is the most important thing is the cheapest possible equipment that will work, that will do the job. So they're not looking for an exquisite platform that will be all singing, all dancing. They want it to do a job as cheap as possible. He gave me one example. They're able to build a drone out of only Ukrainian components. But because the camera and the motor are in, the price for them, the Ukrainian versions is twice as high as the Chinese ones and they're not in such good supply, they will continue to buy the Chinese ones. Then the other company is a US based company called Arterion, which has been around for years and has done work with the Pentagon. So what Arterion does is it has its own mini computer uploaded with software, and it integrates a range of functions. Guidance, targeting, networking. There's digital communications which make it much harder to hack or jam. And this can also be used on fixed wing drones which can fly a much greater distance and carry out deeper strikes on the Russians. So that solution is a bit more universal, a bit more versatile and a bit more expensive. But, you know, the Ukrainians see advantages in both of them.

[Belle Lin]

That was our Ukraine bureau chief, James Marson. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. Today's show was produced by Julie Chang with supervising producer Kathryn Millsop logging off. I'm Belle Lynn for the Wall Street Journal. We'll sign back in this afternoon with TNB Tech Minute. Thanks for listening. This message comes from Apollo. In the financial landscape, change is the only constant. Apollo is rethinking assumptions and crafting the solutions that the future demands. At Apollo, they think it through, then they think it new.