Rise of the robots.

Wired, and others, are reporting that a malfunctioning robotic cannon has killed 9 and injured 14.

That sparked a thought. If lives are going to be on the line as we increasingly produce robotic weapons, then surely there must be some set of standards for software validation which should apply.

For example, a while back I met an engineer who worked for a company who produce medical ventilators, and he told me the lengths of software testing and validation they had to go through. Their devices could never be brought to market without FDA approval, so it was in their interest to prove that the device operated correctly, and failed safely. I’m sure the same standards apply for other medical devices.

Perhaps it’s time we applied the same rigour, if we’re not already, to robotic weapon development. After all, lives are at stake on the correct, or incorrect operation of both types of devices.

Alternatively, we could try to stop killing each other. But that’s an argument for another day.