Professor to speak on ‘Lethal autonomous robots and the plight of the noncombatant’

Ronald Arkin will present "Lethal Autonomous Robots and the Plight of the Noncombatant" at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Pellegrene Auditorium, Peter Engel Science Center, Saint John's University.

Arkin is the Regents' Professor and associate dean for research and space planning at Georgia Institute of Technology. His speech is free and open to the public, and is the 2016 Norman L. Ford Science Literacy Lecture, co-sponsored by the Reuter Professorship in Science and Religion.

Arkin's lecture addresses the role of lethal autonomous robotic systems and warfare. If they are developed appropriately, they may have the ability to significantly reduce civilian casualties in the battlespace. But this can lead to a moral imperative for their use.

In his speech, he will encourage listeners to think of ways to approach the issues of restraining lethal autonomous systems from illegal or immoral actions in the context of both International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, whether through technology or legislation.

Arkin received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan, a Master's degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

His research interests include behavior-based reactive control and action-orientated perception for mobile robots and UAVs. Arkin has written three books — "Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots" (2009, Chapman-Hall); "Behavior-Based Robotics (1998, MIT Press) and "Robot Colonies" (1997, co-edited by George Bekey) — and countless scholarly articles.

The Ford Lecture Series addresses contemporary and cutting-edge scientific topics while encouraging students and the public to become more conversant with the relevance of science in our everyday lives. The series is made possible through the generous support of a Saint John's alumnus who wanted to honor one of his favorite and most inspiring professors, Norman Ford, professor emeritus of biology.

The Reuter Professorship was established in 2005 to support the work of a CSB/SJU professor in the intersection of science and religion. It is funded through the generous support of SJU alumnus Dr. Nicholas Reuter '66 of the Coborn Cancer Center and his wife, CSB alumna Bernice Reuter '67.