The bill, An Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies, prohibits the manufacture, sale, and operation of robots or drones that are mounted with a weapon. If signed into law, the bill will be the first-in-the-nation to implement common-sense regulations to protect the public and bring stability to an emerging market.

This bill was filed by State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and State Sen. Michael Moore. Key civil rights groups and industry associations, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, MassRobotics, and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) have come together in support of the bill.

Advanced mobile robots are incredible tools that can enrich our lives and keep people safe, but makeshift efforts to weaponize general purpose robots threaten public trust and acceptance of this emerging technology. We recently led a consortium of six leading robotics companies calling on policymakers to ensure the ethical use of general purpose robots and prohibit their misuse. We are proud to have worked in collaboration with Representative Sabadosa, Senator Moore, civil rights advocates, and robotics industry leaders, to help develop the nation’s first comprehensive legislation on this topic, in our home state of Massachusetts.

Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy & Government Relations at Boston Dynamics
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