Expert warns of 'robot crime wave' on the horizon

A University of Sheffield scientist and senior Interpol advisor warn of a coming crime wave -- one in which criminals, and probably terrorists, will turn to robots for help. In one example of the emerging trend, Columbian drugs cartels have used robotic submarines to secretly deliver large hauls of cocaine.

And this year, the an International Aerial Robotics Competition will demonstrate the concern by challenging competitors to use a micro-air vehicle to penetrate a secure building and steal a flash drive from an office.  "Robots could assist a vast range of crime from drugs vending to assault and murder to voyeurism and burglary," professor Noel Sharkey said in a news release.

On pressing concern is the danger posed by criminals or terrorists able to hack into armed military or police robots, he said.

"The new crime wave might be 10 or 20 years away, but we should have no doubt it is coming," Sharkey said. "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."

The experts warn that manufacturers must ensure their technology is safe so that crude copies of mechanised police and military devices are harder to produce. 

But it seems the crisis is inevitable. Building robots is 80 percent cheaper today than it was two decades ago.