26 July 2010
British expert warns of a coming robot crime wave
A leading British scientist, a senior Interpol advisor and a broadcaster have warned that the growing availability of robotics knowledge and components will promote a new breed of "garden shed" robot criminals and terrorists.
Writing in IEEE Computer, Professor Noel Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield´s Department of Computer Science, along with former Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross and Senior Interpol Advisor, Marc Goodman, warn of a coming robot crime wave in which military and police robots could be open to abuse from criminals.
Building robots is 80% cheaper now than 20 years ago and with the potential increase in production the experts are calling for manufacturers to `think thief´ and plan against crime when they are designing the machines.
The experts warn that robot crime will take to the air, move on land and plunge deep under the oceans. Currently, Columbian drugs cartels are already using robot submarines to deliver large hauls of cocaine and avoid capture. This year the 6th International Aerial Robotics Competition will challenge competitors to use a micro-air vehicle to penetrate a secure building and steal a flash drive from an office.
The authors claim that if manufacturers discard safety and the prevention of crime, crude copies of mechanised police and military devices could be relatively easy to produce. If this scenario became a reality, the experts claim it could lead to terrorism, vandalism and vigilantism.
Professor Sharkey urges fellow scientists and engineers working in robotics to be mindful of crime prevention and build in components in the software to assist with forensic analysis. He and his co-authors call for the police to consider building information databases that could track and trace robot crime, similar to our current fingerprint database system.
Professor Sharkey said: "Robots could assist a vast range of crime from drugs vending to assault and murder to voyeurism and burglary. Robots can't even be detected by the passive IR alarm systems in most of our houses. More pressing though, is the danger that criminals or terrorists will hack into armed military or police robots and pose a threat to life.
"The new crime wave might be 10 or 20 years away, but we should have no doubt it is coming. Robots will be used for crimes because they offer two elements that have always promoted crime: temptation and opportunity. We must act quickly and decisively to head off a pandemic of robot crime." Notes for Editors: The article, `The Coming Robot Crime Wave´, will be published on 1 August 2010 in IEEE Computer.
For further information please contact: Lauren Anderson, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2221046 or email l.h.anderson@sheffield.ac.uk
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