San Francisco makes U-turn on 'killer robots' plan

San Francisco has reversed its determination to authorise constabulary to usage robots equipped with lethal weapons.

The proposal, which was passed past week by the city's legislators, the committee of supervisors, would person allowed constabulary to entree robots that tin kill.

It had faced fierce disapproval from civilian liberties groups.

After voting unanimously to intermission the connection connected Tuesday, the committee sent the contented to committee for further review.

The measurement would person allowed the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) to termination suspects with robots successful utmost situations.

The ballot came pursuing a caller California instrumentality requiring metropolis constabulary forces to support inventories of military-grade instrumentality and question support for their use.

Dr Catherine Connolly, from the radical Stop Killer Robots, told the BBC the determination was a "slippery slope" that could region humans from killing.

Protesters and respective dissenting committee members gathered connected the steps of metropolis hallway to telephone for the metropolis to reverse its decision.

In a secondary vote, usually reserved to rubber-stamp committee decisions, they decided to overturn their vote.

The archetypal connection volition present beryllium refined oregon wholly scrapped.

Police person argued that the robots would lone beryllium utilized successful utmost circumstances.

A spokesperson for SFPD said "robots could perchance beryllium equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, oregon unsafe subjects".

They besides said robots could beryllium utilized to "incapacitate, oregon disorient violent, armed, oregon unsafe suspects who airs a hazard of nonaccomplishment of life".

This benignant of lethal robot is already successful usage successful different parts of the US.

In 2016, constabulary successful Dallas, Texas, utilized a robot equipped with C-4 explosive to termination a sniper who had killed 5 officers and injured respective more.