A ban on "killer robots" is being discussed - would cetainly rule out Astro!

[AprilSeven]

Growing up in the 60's, I NEVER thought of Astro as being a "Weapon of Mass Destruction" or even a "Killer Robot," but -- according to today's standards/definition, he most certainly is.

This articlebrings to mind some of the concerns voiced in the 2003 anime - where people feared that AI robots would be capable of turning on humans, and killing people without a human giving permission (despite the "robotic laws")

In the real world there ARE no robotic laws, and these bots have arrived ahead of the peaceful, humanoid servants we see throughout any of the Astro Boy series.

Apparently we're close to having autonomous robots designed to decide on their own if a person should be taken out hmy:

I can't say I feel good about having "killer robots" on the loose, but I also feel that Astro would be such a blessing to our world . . . guess you can't have it "both ways"

And I guess I better understand the "fuzzy" area between self-aware/independent thinking devices and a sentient, moralistic being such as Astro. Makes you think . . . that's for sure!

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Well, the US already has drones equipped with missiles that once programmed to seek and destroy (within specified parameters) will do so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-1_Predator
How autonomous this drone actually is, is probably top secret.

[AprilSeven]

they describe bots capable of deciding on their own if a person should be killed.

Astro doesn't kill (knowingly, at least) - but he decides on his own when to take action.