Killer robots latest militant threat

[brianward81]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=384788
Wednesday Feb 27 11:33 AEDT

Killer robots could become the weapon of choice for militants, a British expert says.

Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield said he believed falling costs would soon make robots a realistic option for extremist groups.

Several countries and companies are developing the technology for robot weapons, with the US Department of Defence leading the way. More than 4,000 robots are deployed in Iraq.

"The trouble is that we can't really put the genie back in the bottle. Once the new weapons are out there, they will be fairly easy to copy," Sharkey will tell a one-day conference organised by Britain's Royal United Services Institute on Wednesday.

"How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act? With the current prices of robot construction falling dramatically and the availability of ready-made components for the amateur market, it wouldn't require a lot of skill to make autonomous robot weapons."

Sharkey said a small GPS-guided drone with autopilot could be made for about STG250 ($AU530).

[rezafab]

http://technology.newscientist.com/a...ert-warns.html

This guy might need a personal invitation to join the HUAR army!

[brody]

Originally Posted by brianward81

Killer robots could become the weapon of choice for militants, a British expert says.

War machines ... military robots pose a threat to humanity, warns an expert in artificial intelligence / AFP

[Lin Floyd]

c'mon, everyone knows that one Jew robot could take out a thousand Muslim robots! These wizard terrorists couldn't figure out how to put an airliner on autopilot (so it would blow up the WTC without them in it). One of these days some freaked out billionaire (Paul Allen? Mark Cuban?) will decide to fund vigilante anti-terrorism and then watch out osama!