Russia Developing `Terrorist-Killer Robots'
MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian experts are developing robots
designed to minimize casualties in terrorist attacks and neutralize
terrorists, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday.
Robots could also help evacuate injured servicemen and civilians from
the scene of a terrorist attack, said Rogozin, who oversees the
defense industry.
Other antiterror equipment Russia is developing includes systems that
can see terrorists through obstacles and effectively engage them in a
standoff mode at a long distance without injuring their hostages, he
said.
Rogozin did not say when the equipment might be deployed by Russia's
security and intelligence services.
Human Rights Watch has criticized fully autonomous weapons, known as
"killer robots," which would be able to select and engage targets
without human intervention and called for the preemptive prohibition
on such weapons.
`Fully autonomous weapons do not exist yet, but they are being
developed by several countries and precursors to fully autonomous
weapons have already been deployed by high-tech militaries,' HRW said
in a statement on its website. `Some experts predict that fully
autonomous weapons could be operational in 20 to 30 years.'
`These weapons would be incapable of meeting international
humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction,
proportionality, and military necessity. The weapons would not be
constrained by the capacity for compassion, which can provide a key
check on the killing of civilians,' the human rights watchdog said.
`Fully autonomous weapons also raise serious questions of
accountability because it is unclear who should be held responsible
for any unlawful actions they commit.'
From: A. Papazian
MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian experts are developing robots
designed to minimize casualties in terrorist attacks and neutralize
terrorists, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday.
Robots could also help evacuate injured servicemen and civilians from
the scene of a terrorist attack, said Rogozin, who oversees the
defense industry.
Other antiterror equipment Russia is developing includes systems that
can see terrorists through obstacles and effectively engage them in a
standoff mode at a long distance without injuring their hostages, he
said.
Rogozin did not say when the equipment might be deployed by Russia's
security and intelligence services.
Human Rights Watch has criticized fully autonomous weapons, known as
"killer robots," which would be able to select and engage targets
without human intervention and called for the preemptive prohibition
on such weapons.
`Fully autonomous weapons do not exist yet, but they are being
developed by several countries and precursors to fully autonomous
weapons have already been deployed by high-tech militaries,' HRW said
in a statement on its website. `Some experts predict that fully
autonomous weapons could be operational in 20 to 30 years.'
`These weapons would be incapable of meeting international
humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction,
proportionality, and military necessity. The weapons would not be
constrained by the capacity for compassion, which can provide a key
check on the killing of civilians,' the human rights watchdog said.
`Fully autonomous weapons also raise serious questions of
accountability because it is unclear who should be held responsible
for any unlawful actions they commit.'
From: A. Papazian