“Armament” Explained by Robot Builders

While robot technologies have reached a very advanced point today, we can now see some robots in our daily lives. Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot Spot has served in the field during the coronavirus outbreak, and even recently Also by Tüpraş was deployed in our country.

On the other hand, advanced robots are used in various parts of the world to kill people, apart from humanitarian duties. He was also seen as armed. Today, an open letter came from the world’s giant robot manufacturers against arming robots. Robot manufacturers, including Boston Dynamics, emphasized that robots should not be armed.

Description of robot manufacturers regarding armament:

“We are some of the world’s leading companies dedicated to introducing the next generation of advanced mobile robots to society. These next-generation robots are more accessible than previous generations, easier to use, more autonomous, cost-effective, adaptable, and capable of navigating locations previously inaccessible to automated or remotely controlled technologies. We believe that advanced mobile robots will greatly benefit society as a colleague in the industry and companion in our home.

As with any new technology that offers new capabilities, the emergence of advanced mobile robots presents the possibility of abuse. Untrusted persons may use them to violate civil rights or to threaten, harm or intimidate others. One area of ​​particular concern is armament. We believe that adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, that are widely available to the public, and that can go to previously inaccessible places where people live and work pose new risks of harm and serious ethical issues. Armed applications of these newly capable robots will not only harm the enormous benefits they will bring to society, but also undermine public confidence in technology. For these reasons, we do not support arming our general purpose robots with advanced mobility. For those of us who have spoken about this topic in the past, and for those interested in it for the first time, we now feel a renewed urgency in light of the growing public concern in recent months caused by the small number of people visibly announcing their temporary efforts to weaponize commercially available robots.

We will not arm our general purpose robots with advanced mobility or software we develop that enable advanced robotics, and have others do so. We promise not to support it. Whenever possible, we will carefully examine our customers’ intended applications to avoid potential weapon use. We are also committed to researching the development of technological features that can mitigate or mitigate these risks. To be clear, we are not concerned with existing technologies that nations and government agencies use to defend themselves and enforce their laws.

We understand that our commitment alone is not enough to fully address these risks, and so we urge lawmakers to work with us to promote the safe use of these robots and ban their misuse. We also urge every organization, developer, researcher, and user in the robotics community to make similar commitments not to add, authorize, support, or enable weapons of such robots. We believe the benefits of these technologies for humanity far outweigh the risks of misuse, and we are excited for a bright future where humans and robots work side-by-side to tackle some of the world’s challenges.”

The letter in question was signed by Agility Robotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, Unitree and ANYbotics as well as Boston Dynamics.