20 Seconds to Comply

Lethal robotic machines are no longer the stuff of science fiction; they are being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and could soon be patrolling in a shopping centre near you!

These TALON Robots are one of the fastest on the market and also one of the most versatile. Weighing just 52kg it is easy transported into the field, has speed settings and can move through snow, and even underwater.

In the past year, the 3rd Infantry Division, has deployed three weaponised robots into combat. A cousin to the TALON, the SWORD (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System) is one of the world’s first lethal robots, and can currently be configured for armed reconnaissance missions with M240 or M249 machine guns, or Barrett.50 calibre rifles. (They are also being tested with grenade launchers and anti-tank rocket launchers). Moving on high-speed tank tracks over rocks, up stairs, and across sand, its eyes and ears are hi-tech cameras and sensors that can zoom in from long range.


Although it does have an automatic mode, the decision on whether or not to fire currently rests with a soldier. Politically the decision to grant a machine the power to determine whether man lives or dies is not made lightly. Used to help disarm bombs etc it could help reduce the number of soldiers being sent back in body bags, but at some point the enemy will conclude that there is no point in fighting robots, lets send the rebels to your home town.

Armed robots have already been trialled by US police forces, so it’s not inconceivable that security droids will one day be seen patrolling Britain’s streets.