You know what? Just go here for all your evil robot news. They're thorough and probably actually get paid to keep track of world robot domination. I just don't have the energy to pay attention anymore.
From the blog: It's no secret that the U.S. military is developing a variety of unmanned weapons and seemingly futuristic technologies -- everything from automated machine guns and robotic stretcher bearers to tiny but lethal robots the size of insects.
As these weapons gain more and more autonomy, deeper questions arise. Singer poses difficult questions: "Can the new armaments reliably separate friend from foe? What laws and ethical codes apply? What are we saying when we send out unmanned machines to fight for us? What is the “message” that those on the other side receive?" And ultimately, asks Singer, how will we remain masters of weapons that are immeasurably faster and more "intelligent" than we are?
It's the product of the Missile Defense Agency and they call it the MKV-L (Multiple Kill Vehicle). The hover bot is meant to be used as a bundle of missile interceptors deployed by a larger carrier. Objectives of this particular test included having the MKV-L hover under its own power and prove its capability to recognize and track a surrogate target in a flight environment.
Of course, many of his robot stories involved ways that the laws were broken, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope that this will hold back the robot rebellion.