Many people fear that robots may be taking over our world. Critics protest each time the military announces the development of a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or similar robot featuring advanced weaponry and intelligence, saying that accidents are bound to happen if decisions are left to the merciless, calculated minds of computers. These individuals also protest against creating a robotic police force, saying that abuses and misunderstandings could take place at any time. In order to alleviate some concerns, German researchers are taking the risk of creating robots that can wield knives. The purpose of the work is to design methods of preventing robots from stabbing people.

The new robot has been constructed in such a manner that it can effortlessly cut, stab and slice samples of various materials. The machine was then equipped with a wide variety of sharp instruments, including for example scissors, scalpels, knives and screwdrivers. The team then watched how the machine performed stabbing and slicing motions on a variety of objects, ranging from silicone material to a very unfortunate pig's leg. The scientists say that this type of investigation is absolutely necessary if robots are to become the long-waited replacements for personal assistants many people dream of.

Scientists at the German Aerospace Center's (DLR) Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics have also released a video (below) showing how the robot works. The team demonstrates its collision detection technology, which is essentially the basis of their entire innovation. When disabled, the robot pierces deep holes in a sample, or cuts deep within using knives and scalpels. But, when the function is turned on, the amount of damage is significantly reduced, or even non-existent. For instance, in the case of stabbing gestures, the knife only penetrates 1 millimeter into the sample, whereas in the case of cutting gesture, it is 0 millimeters.

At the very end of the video, we are treated with the sight of a brave human volunteer, who shows on himself that the robot is safe to work with. With collision detection technology turned on, the machine only inflicts irrelevant damage. During all the tests, the mechanic arm moved at a constant speed of around 0.64 meters per second, which is fairly fast. Details of the machine were presented this week at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2010), Technology Review reports.