Robot wars ‘will be a reality within 10 years’
The world is sleepwalking into an international robot arms race, an expert will warn today.
The Foster-Miller Armed TALON Robot, used by the US army
US forces recently deployed remote-controlled robots equipped with automatic weapons in IraqProf Noel Sharkey fears increased research by countries including America, Russia, China and Israel will lead to the use of battlefield robots that can decide when to kill within 10 years.
He will also predict that it is only a matter of time before robots become a standard terrorist weapon, replacing suicide bombers.
Prof Sharkey, of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Computer Science, will outline his concerns in a speech at a conference in Whitehall, London, on the ethics of unmanned military systems organised by the Royal United Services Institute, a respected defence think tank.
