Military Robotics Makers See a Future for Armed Police Robots

Has the time arrived for robotics to assume a greater role in dangerous civilian-police encounters? Will Skynet's T-1000 be making an appearance at an active shooter incident near you?


REPORT: “Now that we have crossed the rubicon of robots used to kill in domestic applications, strict guidelines must quickly be set as to when this is acceptable,” said Wendell Wallach, a Yale ethicist and author of A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology From Slipping Beyond Our Control. “From what little we know, the Dallas PD’s use was warranted. We are now beyond warfare in the use of robots to kill, and should not waste time in addressing how these technologies could expand in totally unacceptable ways.”

Are armed police robots going to be a good thing? The answer depends on who you ask.

A police officer dies in in the line of duty every 61 hours. It is dangerous work. But every day, three people in the United States are killed by police. The American public tend to view police shooting statistics through one of two lenses, one that either minimizes the importance of police shootings or that ignores the real danger that police face everyday. In fact, these trends are mutually reinforcing. A police officer who feels under constant threat also poses a greater likelihood of harm to the individuals he encounters."