Killer Robots Are Coming

Science Daily reports today on the ominous, not at all alarmist warnings of one Noel Sharkey, robotics expert and sometimes TV personality. In an address to the Royal United Services Institute, whose Web site bills itself as the "leading forum in the UK for national and international Defence and Security", Sharkey predicted that "it may not be long before robots become a standard terrorist weapon to replace the suicide bomber." The US currently employs 4,000 robots in Iraq, and countries in Europe and other allied countries such as Canada, South Korea, and Israel are racing to create robotic combat vehicles. The general consensus was that the Canadian robot will not be that scary. Sharkey went on to warn that while now there is a human component involved in the decision to use robots for lethal force, newer models will operate independently. In other news, robots want to make sweet love to you and then take over your menial job.-Andy Wright