iRobot and Taser to produce (non)lethal bots

Another day, another step towards the inevitable robotic resistance: iRobot and Taser announced plans today to collaborate on weapons-capable bots. The first model off the line will be the venerable Packbot Explorer, fitted with a Taser X26 stun gun, to be sold to police departments and the Pentagon. No plans are being made to develop robots capable of inflicting lethal force, according to the two companies, but given Taser's somewhat spotty reputation and the obvious demands of the military, we're beginning to trust our Roomba even less than before.

[kirk @ Jun 28th 2007 8:28PM]

i, for one, welcome our irobot taser overlords?

[tarl @ Jun 28th 2007 9:46PM]

lol. now that is classic.

[Ellianth @ Jun 28th 2007 8:46PM]

Because people are really gonna just stand there and let that robot come shock them. I could probably outrun that robot, if not, i'd take a baseball bat to it's tasing arm :P.

[HaX80r @ Jun 28th 2007 8:47PM]

If IBM's BlueGene computer is little baby skynet, is this little baby T-1000?

[Sean @ Jun 28th 2007 9:19PM]

That thing better have a big, red stop button hardwired in.

[Mr. Vage @ Jun 28th 2007 9:36PM]

Just what I've always wanted, fricken robots with fricken taser beams attached to their heads.

[Stan Winstone @ Jun 28th 2007 9:48PM]

Make sure it can say, "I'll be back!"

[JJ @ Jun 28th 2007 10:32PM]

The moment they make the robots bulletproof and law enforcement agencies or the military decide to ask that the company install lethal weapons, then that is the time I will start to worry. But, we won't have to worry much until artificial intelligence has advanced enough that it can evolve and learn about as effectively as Data of Star Trek or Skynet of Terminator or HAL of Space Odyssey 2001. Then, again, if these were in the wrong hands, these would be very viable killing machines.

[Richard @ Jun 28th 2007 10:37PM]

What if I throw water on it?

[feffrey @ Jun 28th 2007 11:46PM]

I am sure that it is water resistant if not water proof.

Even if it does have lethal weapons, I am not worried. So long as it is still radio controlled. If it becomes autonomous then my RF jammer is useless and I'll break out the AP rounds.

[kyle allen @ Jun 29th 2007 2:24AM]

dang it! now my post apocalypse dune buggie has to be zombie proof AND robot proof!

[Miko @ Jun 29th 2007 3:06AM]

So...would these be street legal? The article doesn't answer the important questions: When are they available for consumers and how much? Can I get them at Best Buy?

[ferencter @ Jun 29th 2007 4:04AM]

Oops...Asimov’s first law of Robotics, broken already... “A robot may not injure a human being or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”

[Sim @ Jun 29th 2007 9:29AM]

At least now there will definately not be any chance of real reprecussions when another person is killed with a non-lethal taser by a cop. It can be blamed on the disposable/upgradeable machine.
"our thoughts and prayers go out to citizen's family, If a terrorist hacker hadn't been using an unsanctioned linux laptop with al-queda like drivers for it's inter-tubes connecting air card, the freedom-machine 3000 would not have malfunctioned. We will be destroying this freedom machine and the terrorist responsible." said an IM from mil-pol central.