I know, I know. I’m the robot apocalypse person now, but hear me out – the US Army is legitimately expecting to have robots in war zones, doing recon, sniffing for explosives and chemicals and, oh yeah, generally thinking in the next five years. How could this go wrong?
According to TechCentral, the Pentagon is budgeting close to $1 billion for its robot program, with 800 prototypes “designed to complement combat troops” already tested over the last 18 months.
“Within five years, I have no doubt there will be robots in every army formation,” says US Army project manager Bryan McVeigh. “This is an exciting time to be working on robots with the army.”
Not everybody thinks so, however. With 26 countries on the list, the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots is petitioning for a ban on autonomous weapons, citing concerns about “machines making life-and-death decisions on the battlefield”. I’d just like us all to take a moment to appreciate the fact that there is an organisation called the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.
So, please folks, treat your smart appliances kindly.