Steve Skojec

Robots are, in my Transformers-loving opinion, one of the best things ever invented because they are simultaneously heart-stoppingly scary and unfathomably cool.

What escapes the notice of most of us regular schleps is just how prevalent they’re becoming. I’ve even encountered an advanced robotics project in some of my client work.

Let’s be clear what I mean when I say robots - we’re not talking about the little dudes that blew smoke after you filled their noggins with 3-in-1 oil and bounced around the kitchen saying, “I am the atomic powered robot. Please give my best wishes to everybody!!!” before falling over and making helpless clicking sounds.

No, we’re referring to fully automated, large-scale machines that make “decisions”, navigate lenghty and intricate obstacle courses, and deploy live weapon systems.

Which brings us to our story. In South Africa last week, an unmanned weapons platform went SkyNet during a training exercise and started firing a fully automated GDF Mk V twin 35mm cannon system with explosive rounds.

9 Soldiers were killed. 14 were wounded.

A video of a similar incident has surfaced, and there’s an eerie feeling about the way the weapons system seems to be seeking out targets. You can find the video at Gizmodo or the Wired Danger Room blog, both of which covered the story today.

When asked recently by the CEO of my company what I think the most transformative technological change will be in my lifetime, I responded without hesitation: nanotech. Nanotech will change our health care, the materials we use, our ability to get to and from space, our military capabilities, and will enhance robotics.

Robots, subsequently (or perhaps in parallel?) will be the other big deal in our lifetime. This weapons system was not yet approved, but the fact that we’re at this stage of development is telling. And this was the South African military. I have to wonder what Uncle Sam has.