A group of robotics companies including Boston Dynamics has pledged not to add weapons to their devices and to push back against attempts by other people to do so. But how big an effect will it have if other firms will be developing robots with military applications?
An signed by Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Boston Dynamics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics and Unitree says that 鈥渦ntrustworthy people鈥� could use the companies鈥� devices to 鈥渋nvade civil rights or to threaten, harm, or intimidate others鈥�. The companies pledge not to weaponise their robots, or help others to do so, and also to 鈥渆xplore the development of technological features that could mitigate or reduce these risks鈥�.
They also call on legislators around the world to look at ways to prohibit robot misuse, a move that would overlap with the already sticky topic of regulating autonomous weapons. The letter doesn鈥檛 supply ideas on how prohibitions might work, but there are precedents in drone-makers being made to get their drones to adhere to around government buildings, prisons, nuclear power plants and other sensitive areas. Within these areas, the devices simply won鈥檛 take off, or will slow down and then hover if they enter one.
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Companies creating robots that can refuse to carry guns is a more ambiguous and complex task than simply blocking the ability to work in certain areas, however.
鈥淭hey might worry about this, but it鈥檚 hard to know what they might do to stop it,鈥� says at the University of the West of England, UK. 鈥淪hould car manufacturers worry about people driving cars into pedestrians? Until a robot is sufficiently self-aware to know what鈥檚 happening to it, you can鈥檛 stop this from happening.鈥�
Robots from Boston Dynamics are already being put to work in real environments, during the covid-19 pandemic in Hawaii, in New York and measuring radiation levels in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
But there have been instances of robots carrying out less peaceful activities. One involved what looked like a Unitree four-legged robot, for around 拢2500, that had been adapted by unknown parties to fire at targets with a .
Such unsanctioned applications seem to be what has sparked the open letter, which talks about a 鈥渟mall number of people who have visibly publicized their makeshift efforts to weaponize commercially available robots鈥�.
While the concept of military robots is unpalatable to many, the prospect of even rudimentary armed robots on the streets, whether they are controlled by police forces, criminals or terrorists, would seem worse for many people.
Although some robotics companies are distancing themselves from this possibility, others, like Ghost Robotics, have been working on set-ups that can be armed and . The firm鈥檚 Vision 60 robot can be fitted with a custom gun made by Sword Defense that offers a . Ghost Robotics is , and its products are being put to work .
Ghost Robotics didn鈥檛 respond to an interview request, but chief executive officer Jiren Parikh that real-world military use of its robots is some way off. 鈥淚t鈥檚 primarily going to be a special force thing in the US, and we鈥檙e talking years by the time they get official approval. You鈥檙e not going to see any kind of operability of a weapon on our legged robots today. But I think in years down the road, you will,鈥� he said.
Robotics company iRobot, known for its robotic hoovers, originally made military products too, but separated off that arm of the company. Its new owner, Teledyne FLIR, continues to make products for military use, including the Kobra 725, which can lift heavy loads, break down doors and . The US Army has purchased 350 and says some are already in use.
Boston Dynamics didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment. Despite its current objection to weaponisation, many of its early projects were funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which develops emerging technologies for use by the military.
Robotics research and military funding often go hand in hand, even if Boston Dynamics and others are choosing to distance themselves from military applications now.
With companies including Amazon and Tesla now working on robotics, as well as a clutch of mature start-ups and military institutions and the defence industry, we are likely to see rapid advances in what robots of all kinds are capable of. But the technology is still some way off being truly useful in a conflict.
at the University of Warwick, UK, says the use of two or four-legged robots in war is unlikely in the near or medium term, although there are autonomous weapons already in use, including simple land mines, nationwide missile-interception systems, drones and even 聽that have their own ethical issues.
鈥淭he capabilities of walking robots, especially in more dynamic, higher intensity, war-fighting situations are sometimes overstated,鈥� says King. 鈥淚f something goes slightly wrong, or slightly different to plan, mechanically they really struggle 鈥� and then there鈥檚 the question of the programming.鈥� In an urban environment, this is ridiculously hard, he adds. 鈥淭he threat of militarised robots is way less than people think.鈥�
