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Discuss “Gladiator research raises awareness of ethical issues”

?We turn dollars into knowledge,? said Matthew Mason, director of Carnegie Mellon University?s Robotics Institute. ?I look at [each potential project] as how it advances our goals in robotics.?

In February, the Institute accepted a contract to develop Gladiator, a robotic remote-control ground vehicle which has the potential to save the lives of soldiers dealing with deadly situations. According to researchers, the vehicle can spot enemies from hundreds of yards and see in ways people can?t. The contract is worth $26.4 million and would support the research of four or five graduate students. What sets this project apart from others, however, is its potential to use ?direct fire capability to neutralize threats.?

Although CMU is not directly...

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