Soldiers Bond With Bots, Take Them Fishing

HarryCaul writes "Soldiers are finding themselves becoming more and more attached to their robotic helpers. During one test of a mine clearing robot, 'every time it found a mine, blew it up and lost a limb, it picked itself up and readjusted to move forward on its remaining legs, continuing to clear a path through the minefield.' The man in charge halted the test, though - 'He just could not stand the pathos of watching the burned, scarred and crippled machine drag itself forward on its last leg. This test, he charged, was inhumane.' Sometimes the soldiers even take their metallic companions fishing. Is there more sympathy for Robot Rights than previously suspected?"

Comments

Re:"This test, he charged, was inhumane"

[cdrdude]

A quick google search of 'define: inhumane' returns: "lacking kindness" "lacking and reflecting lack of pity or compassion; 'humans are innately inhumane; this explains much of the misery and suffering in the world"; "biological weapons are considered too inhumane to be used' " If google is to be believed, inhumane has nothing to do with treatment of humans. Inhumane is simply a word for cruelty, regardless of species.