
Exterminate, exterminate
By Nick Heath
Published: 28 February 2008 11:40 GMT
Forget the cuddly C3P0 and R2D2 - the robots of the future may well share the murderous instincts of the Daleks, according to a robotics expert.
Terrorist robots and autonomous military machines wielding automatic weapons could soon be a reality, claims Professor Noel Sharkey.
The expert at the University of Sheffield - who was formerly a judge on cult BBC TV show Robot Wars - warned the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) of the beginning of an international robot arms race.
With plummeting prices of robotic components he cautioned that the killer machines could replace the suicide bomber as the terrorist weapon of choice saying a small GPS guided drone with autopilot can be made for around £250.
Prof Sharkey said in a statement: "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. How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act?"
Read all about IT
Check out the Editor's Blog for the silicon.com chief's take on the hot tech issues of the moment.
The US proposes to spend an extra $4bn by 2010 on unmanned systems, with total spending expected to rise above $24bn. More than 4,000 robots are already deployed on the ground in Iraq and by October 2006 unmanned aircraft had flown 400,000 flight hours.
Robot weapons programmes are underway in Europe and other countries such as Canada, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore and Israel.
China, Russia and India are also embarking on the development of unmanned aerial combat vehicle with China believed to be able to match the US robotic programme.
Prof Sharkey said there was an urgent need for the international community to assess the risks of these new weapons before their use became widespread.
TV programme "Future Weapons" highlighted autonomo...
Pete Lacey
I can see the newspaper stories now
"police swo...
Karen Challinor
Wipro's hiring policy is geared to ensure that Wipro hires employee's without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ...
Wipro's hiring policy is geared to ensure that Wipro hires employee's without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ...
Maritime systems include propulsion and power-generation systems for ships and submarines, control systems, shipboard launch systems and unmanned ...
Agenda Setters 2008
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Rob Bamforth Seeking memorable mobile apps Quocirca's Straight Talking: Why are there so few?
Stewart Baines How much SEO is too much? Net Effect: Plus 10 tips on boosting your site's profile