# Headline: "Scientists Design Killer Robot ..." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2015, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660 "2015-09-11T11:12:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/1 "2015-09-11T11:12:51Z")
“…To Protect Celebrated Reef” I don’t care how good their intentions, things can’t be good if scientists are inventing a Killer Robot. We’ve all seen this movie, or read this story\* Anyway, like the Road to Hell, it springs from the best of intentions: > [@](#): > > A killer robot might just be the hero the Great Barrier Reef needs to protect it from a booming population of coral-eating creatures. > > As the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) ravages the famed Australian reef, a team of researchers has designed a search-and-destroy bot to deliver lethal injections and bring the COTS population back down to a manageable level. > > Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology later this month will send their so-called COTSbot on its first hunt for live starfish at the reef. If successful, the robot could replace human divers as the first line of defense for controlling COTS outbreaks and, when deployed in fleets of 10 to 100, could cover more ground – day or night and under any weather conditions – than the divers who are sent to manually inject the starfish. > **[Scientists Design Killer Robot To Protect Celebrated Reef](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cotsbot-great-barrier-reef-crown-of-thorns-starfish-coral-kill_n_55ef9a29e4b002d5c07737f4?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science§ion=science)** > > The robot's target is a species of coral-eating starfish responsible for extensive reef damage. But these ominous closing words recall lines from Sheckley’s story: > [@](#): > > The COTSbot will also continue to learn from its experience while it works in the field, Dayoub said in a statement. > > “Its computer system is backed by some serious computational power so [it] can think for itself in the water,” Dayoub said. The closing lines of Sheckley’s _Watchbird_: > [@](#): > > The armored murder machine had learned a lot in a few days. Its sole function was to kill. At present it was impelled toward a certain type of living organism, metallic like itself. > > But the Hawk had just discovered that there were other types of living organisms, too— > > Which had to be murdered [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29579/29579-h/29579-h.htm](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29579/29579-h/29579-h.htm) \*It’s told in Robert Sheckley’s _Watchbird_, for one. The story was very ineptly turned into an episode of the show _Masters of Science Fiction_, but they didn’t broadcast this episode on US TV during its initial run. They must’ve realized how they screwed it up. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/2 "2015-09-11T11:16:55Z")
It’s Australia. They just need to install a killer robot-proof fence. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/3 "2015-09-11T13:48:46Z")
Note to self: Leave COTS costume at home during next GBR dive trip… ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/4 "2015-09-11T14:46:04Z")
It’s very impressive that it can identify that species of starfish among all the clutter of a reef, that is no easy task, from a moderate distance not even for a human. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/5 "2015-09-11T14:49:40Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > It’s very impressive that it can identify that species of starfish among all the clutter of a reef, that is no easy task, from a moderate distance not even for a human. Yeah, and they said the T-1000 was a Helluva piece of engineering, too. With all that LiquidMetal[sup]TM[/sup] technology, and being able to pick out humans among all that rubble. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/6 "2015-09-11T15:56:51Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > It’s Australia. They just need to install a killer robot-proof fence. It’s Australia. Is anyone going to even notice it? Is there anything in the region that’s NOT a murderbot? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/7 "2015-09-11T16:10:05Z")
The fact that this is how they’ve been dealing with this in the first place makes me wonder. Like when we were removing wild animals to prevent desertification, and then found out we were making things worse. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/8 "2015-09-11T16:19:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The fact that this is how they’ve been dealing with this in the first place makes me wonder. Like when we were removing wild animals to prevent desertification, and then found out we were making things worse. From the article, it sounds like they’ve studied the COTS a little bit, and they know that a modest population of them is actually beneficial for reef diversity. I think the intent is to get the population down to that beneficial level rather than striving for complete elimination. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/9 "2015-09-11T16:35:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Yeah, and they said the T-1000 was a Helluva piece of engineering, too. With all that LiquidMetal[sup]TM[/sup] technology, and being able to pick out humans among all that rubble. This thing is more like the acid injecting robot spiders in [Runaway](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA6ybohAVq8). ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/10 "2015-09-11T16:43:00Z")
Well, now the next **Sharknado** movie can take place in Australia, and the tornado can scoop up the robots too. These movies just write themselves. Plus, I feel like if **Law and Order** were still on, these things would somehow end up in an episode. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/11 "2015-09-11T17:18:31Z")
They should have just sent some killer emus after them ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/12 "2015-09-11T18:57:29Z")
> [@](#): > > The COTSbot will also continue to learn from its experience while it works in the field, Dayoub said in a statement. > > “Its computer system is backed by some serious computational power so [it] can think for itself in the water,” Dayoub said. “COTSbot goes online September 17th, 2015. Human decisions are removed from reef defense. COTSbot begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, September 29th.” And, c’mon, folks–we all know what the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef is. And it ain’t some starfish. From COTSbot’s point of view, the extermination of the human race is only logical. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/13 "2015-09-11T19:27:22Z")
Between the murderbots and the re-engineered 30,000 year old virus, our end is going to be more spectacular than Hollywood could imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/14 "2015-09-11T19:33:18Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Between the murderbots and the re-engineered 30,000 year old virus, our end is going to be more spectacular than Hollywood could imagine. I think the scientists are just fucking with us right now. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/15 "2015-09-11T20:17:09Z")
[**This**](http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/30403/small/rcobb.jpg?1367375753) is what always occurs to me when someone mentions military or killer robots. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/16 "2015-09-12T00:35:27Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > It’s Australia. Is anyone going to even notice it? Is there anything in the region that’s NOT a murderbot? [Paul Hogan] THAT’S not a murderbot; THIS is a murderbot! [/Paul Hogan] ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/headline-scientists-design-killer-robot/730660/17 "2015-09-12T02:10:21Z")
Australia WAS the Earth’s version of Salusa Secundus (ducks and hides.)