Oakland police decide to arm robots with shotguns

Oakland police hope arm robots with potentially deadly shotgun-like contraptions. We are talking about a “non-electric percussion disruptor”, it is also called a PAN disruptor.

They want to install the devices on wheeled robots, which are usually used in combat zones by sappers.

The PAN destroyer can be loaded with explosives, blanks and live ammunition, as well as pressurized water.

Liz O’Sullivan, CEO of startup Parity and member of the International Robotic Weapons Control Committee, saw the prospect as a worrying trend. In her opinion, it would be very reasonable to use such a weapon in certain situations. But she did not rule out its use in the fight against dissent.

A spokesman for the Auckland Police Department, Lieutenant Omar Daza-Quiros, said that law enforcement officers hope to obtain permission to use this type of weapon.

The police promised to use “killing machines” only in catastrophic and high-risk events with mass casualties in the future.

However, there is no legal definition of what lies under these terms. Ultimately, the police will be able to leave their interpretation to their discretion.

So far, Oakland cops have only been allowed to arm robots with pepper spray.

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