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Robots have aided police officers for decades. These machines have become a regular fixture in almost all police operations, from disarming bombs to probing hostage situations. In recent years, however, the field of robotics has undergone an exponential boom, which could turn our comrades in bionic arms into foes, rather than friends.
Autonomous weapons are already on the rise. In 2014, for instance, a South African company started selling drones that could spit 80 pepper balls per second. In addition, police in North Dakota have received clearance to start using drones equipped with tear gas and Tasers. And if that doesn’t seem unsettling enough for you, here’s another not-so-fun fact: The police use of Tasers, which are touted as safe, but can actually trigger cardiac arrest, killed approximately 540 Americans between 2001 and 2013.(1) source