Killer Military Robot Arms Race Underway?

coondoggie writes to tell us NetworkWorld is reporting that one researcher seems to think that a military robot arms race may be imminent between both governments and terrorists. "We are beginning to see the first steps towards an international robot arms race and it may not be long before robots become a standard terrorist weapon to replace the suicide bomber, according to professor Noel Sharkey, from the Royal United Services Institute Department of Computer Science. [...] Currently there is always a human in the loop to decide on the use of lethal force. However, this is set to change with the US giving priority to autonomous weapons - robots that will decide on where, when and who to kill, according to the professor."

obligated

[liquidmpls]

I for one welcome our new killer robot overlords yeah sorry, i just needed to get it out of the way to make room for the real discussion about skynet

Meanwhile, in Baghdad

[s20451]

"Is that an aibo? Man, I haven't seen one of those since ..." BLAM!

No!!

[olclops]

Dammit! This robot arms race is only going to distract robot researchers from the vastly more important goal: the robot sex race.

Robot Ninjas

[TooMad]

Can we build robot Ninjas and robot Pirates and settle this once and for all with a fight to death?

A modest proposal

[Ilan Volow]

If robotic innocent civilians can be manufactured to replace the humans blown up by military bots and suicide bomber bots, then no one has to die.

The future

[Eudial]

Yes, I look into my crystal sphere, and in it I see the future comments of this thread:

* Yes, but do they have frickin' laser beams attached to their head?
* In soviet Russia, Robots arm YOU!
* I, for one, welcome our new gun-toting robot overlords (points for being uncomfortably close to the truth)
* References to the matrix or terminator series and/or I robot.

70 Virgins for a robot?

[GCH]

So, do the robot suicide bombers get 70 virgins, too?

Re:No!!

[moderatorrater]

Either way we're fucked.

Not to worry.

[CSMatt]

Killbots have a preset kill limit. Send wave after wave of your men at them until they shut down.

Re:I usually frown upon this...

[russ1337]

It was the last part that freaked me out: "robots that will decide on where, when and who to kill, according to the professor "

I sure hope this professor is a nice person.

Better buy them now

[Hoi Polloi]

Get your RC controllers and servos now before the government bans them.

Re:Cats and newspapers

[Anonymous Coward]

Until someone can build an automatic vacuum cleaner that does not try to eat my cat, or an automated lawnmower that does not trim the newspaper, I'm not going to worry.

I'm not quite sure I understand your reasoning. You seem to be making the following points:
1) Current autonomous robots damage their surroundings and are hard to control.
2) The military (and possibly terrorists) want to put really big guns on autonomous robots.
3) Therefore you are NOT going to worry.

Either I misinterpreted you, or you have an interesting view of what to worry about.

Re:And yet, for all the warnings

[Foobar of Borg]

Unless they are really clever and make them out of sticks and rubber bands.

In other news, an American robot army base was struck by the hitherto unknown militant Islamic faction known as al-MacGyver.

Re:A modest proposal

[orclevegam]

But won't someone please think of the robot children?

No they won't run on Linux

[spun]

yeah, the important question is will they run on Linux

They will run on their arms. That's why they call it an arms race, duh!

Killer Robot Arms?

[CaptCrunk]

What's next? Killer robot legs? What happens when they get the whole killer robot put together? I answer: Mecha-Streisand.

Re:No they won't run on Linux

[rlwhite]

No, it's an ARMs race because everyone knows RISC is better.

Well, I wouldn't worry

[poity]

unless they're also researching legs.

Re:Meanwhile, in Baghdad

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't try to educate the slaves. They're happy with their Federal Reserve serfdom.

This message brought to you by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Department of Homeland Security has been brought to you by the Department of Orwellian Government Agency Naming.

Re:I usually frown upon this...

[lendude]

Absolutely no reflection intended on the parent but...Modded Informative!?????

Who the fuck wants to be informed about that? The mind boggles...