Executives from MassRobotics and Boston Dynamics have asked state lawmakers to advance a bill banning armed robots that, if passed, would be the first-in-the-nation to do so, according to supporters.
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held Tuesday a hybrid hearing where about 190 people signed up to testify on about 30 different bills with privacy ramifications, from protecting the privacy of 911 callers, to enhancing access to abortion care to banning government use of facial recognition technologies.
The bill in question, "An Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies," seeks to make mounting a weapon on a robotic device unlawful — but includes exceptions for certain circumstances, such as for law enforcement and military use after proper warrants are obtained, or bomb squad officials trying to remotely disarm explosives.
Overall, the bills prohibits the manufacture, sale, use or operation of a robotic device or drone that is equipped with a weapon, or the use of a robot to threaten, harass or restrain people.
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