The rapid deployment of robotics platforms and systems within the military represents one of the most important present-day political and technological developments. Bestselling author and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Peter W. Singer has written a new book about this “robotics revolution” entitled Wired for War, a broad ethical and technological look at the subject.
On Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30PM, HacDC, a “hackerspace” and creative technology collaborative in downtown Washington D.C., will host a talk and discussion with Dr. Singer. Singer has recently discussed the book on The Daily Show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and has been traveling the country presenting his findings to audiences of civilians, military personnel, and technology industry workers. As a neutral meeting-place open to engineers, technology hobbyists, and policy analysts, HacDC is an ideal location to discuss the significant ethical and political questions raised by the acceleration of military robotics. Many HacDC members build robots themselves and have a good feeling for the technological possibilities, especially in terms of offensive capabilities that technologies with off-the-shelf components might offer amateurs and small groups.
This event will be free and open to the public, and there is no need to RSVP. HacDC is several blocks away from the Columbia Heights metro station and is located in St. Stephen’s Church at 1525 Newton St NW. The event will be held in the large church sanctuary space. For more details, contact Todd Fine at tdfine@gmail.com or (857) 234-0920.
Where: HacDC (1525 Newton St NW, Washington, D.C.)
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Time: 7:30PM
Also, see Singer’s appearance last week on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: