“General purpose robots should not be weaponized!” Boston Dynamics and several other robotics companies recently released an open letter pledging not to arm “general purpose robots” and obviously encourage their new owners to do the same. Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Boston Dynamics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, Unitree Robotics are concerned that untrustworthy people may “use them to violate civil rights or to threaten, harm, or intimidate others”.
“We believe that adding weapons to remote-controlled or autonomous robots that are widely available to the public and able to navigate to previously inaccessible places where people live and work raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues.”can we read in the document. “The militarized applications of these newly capable robots will also harm public confidence in the technology in ways that will undermine the enormous benefits they will bring to society. For these reasons, we do not support the militarization of our advanced mobility general-purpose robots.”
It must be said that the recent context is pushing robot manufacturers to be cautious. Geopolitical tensions, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, raise fears that some new technologies are being used for military purposes. Recently, a video of a robot dog from manufacturer Unitree has been circulating on social media, showing the robot armed with a Kalashnikov variant and firing at targets.
The builders also urge developers, researchers, and users in the robotics community to make similar commitments not to build, license, support, or permit the attachment of weapons to such robots.