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This act would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and operation of robotic units or drones which might be mounted with a weapon.
By Mike Oitzman | September 14, 2023
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Massachusetts State Rep. Linsay Sabadosa and State Sen. Michael Moore have filed “An Act to make sure the accountable use of superior robotic applied sciences”. This act would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and operation of robotic units or drones which might be mounted with a weapon.
This primary-of-its-kind laws will implement rules purpose at defending the general public whereas bringing stability and predictability to an rising market and its entrepreneurs. The invoice has three main provisions associated to robots, drones, and different uncrewed robotic units in Massachusetts. These provisions:
Ban the sale and use of weapons-mounted robotic units
Ban the usage of robotic units to threaten or harass
Ban the utilization of robotic units to bodily restrain a person
These present in violation of those provisions will face fines between $5,000 and $25,000, along with every other penalty imposed because of violations of current legal guidelines.
“Fairly often, the tempo of innovation strikes sooner than important regulation that protects the general public. I’m happy to have labored with Consultant Sabadosa, the ACLU of Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics, and so many others to get forward of what is usually a very harmful know-how if within the unsuitable fingers,” Senator Michael Moore mentioned. “This invoice places cheap guardrails round the usage of robots to harass members of the general public and bans the weaponization of this know-how by these with out strict oversight, whereas additionally introducing guidelines for legislation enforcement to bolster public belief. I’m hopeful that, if handed, this laws can function a mannequin for accountable robotics regulation in different states and past.”
The US Army and its contractors, legislation enforcement officers disposing of explosives, and personal firms testing anti-weaponization applied sciences with case-by-case waivers from the Massachusetts Legal professional Normal, are exempt from the penalties created by the invoice.
The invoice additionally codified necessities {that a} warrant is required when a robotic enters a personal property, besides in exigent circumstances. This measure is meant to guarantee public confidence in legislation enforcement officers’ use of those applied sciences. The invoice additionally requires that details about the utilization of superior robotic know-how by legislation enforcement businesses have to be obtainable to the general public underneath Massachusetts public information legislation.
“Superior cell robots are unbelievable instruments that may enrich our lives and maintain individuals secure, however makeshift efforts to weaponize normal objective robots threaten public belief and acceptance of this rising know-how,” Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Coverage & Authorities Relations at Boston Dynamics, mentioned. “We not too long ago led a consortium of six main robotics firms calling on policymakers to make sure the moral use of general-purpose robots and prohibit their misuse. We’re proud to have labored in collaboration with Consultant Sabadosa, Senator Moore, civil rights advocates, and robotics trade leaders, to assist develop the nation’s first complete laws on this matter, in our residence state of Massachusetts.”
Now that the invoice has been launched to the Massachusetts Home and Senate the act shall be assigned to legislative committees for analysis and testimony.
Whereas this piece of laws is the primary of its type within the nation, it probably received’t be the final. Conversations about whether or not or not weaponized robots ought to be used are ongoing. Final yr, the San Francisco supervisors reversed course and unanimously voted to quickly ban its police division from utilizing robots with deadly power. The problem was despatched again to the committee for additional dialogue and may very well be voted on once more sooner or later.
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