Dallas police used a robot to kill a shooting suspect after 5 police officers were shot dead. Some are calling this tactic a first. Dallas police officers comfort each other in honor of the officers who were killed in a massive shootout Thursday. NEW YORK -- When Dallas police detonated a "bomb robot" Thursday night to take down a sniper suspect, it was believed to be the first time a robot was used by law enforcement to kill a human being in the U.S. Dallas Police Chief David Brown explained in a press conference that "other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger." The action raises ethical questions about the role of robots in warfare or, in this case, police work, especially given continuing breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

FILE - In this July 8, 2016 file photo, police check a car after a snipers opened fire on police officers in Dallas on Thursday night. Dallas police were the first in the nation to use a robot to deliver and detonate a bomb to kill a suspect, but other law enforcement agencies are willing and able to follow suit, including some that even have trained for the day when they'd have to do so. The killing of Micah Johnson using a robot-delivered bomb ended a night of terror in which he shot 14 officers, killing five of them, and also wounded two civilians. FILE - In this July 8, 2016 file photo, police check a car after a snipers opened fire on police officers in Dallas on Thursday night. Dallas police were the first in the nation to use a robot to deliver and detonate a bomb to kill a suspect, but other law enforcement agencies are willing and able to follow suit, including some that even have trained for the day when they'd have to do so.

Much has been made of the fact that Dallas police used a robot to kill the gunman who fatally shot five officers last week. A lot of breathless speculation has gone into exactly what type of vehicle was used to carry the bomb to Micah Johnson's position, in what was widely reported as the first time that tactic was used on U.S. soil. Now, Dallas police have released additional details about the technology it used to end the standoff. On Saturday, authorities reported using a Remotec model F-5 to deliver a one-pound payload of C-4 and detonation cord to the target. In a news conference on Monday, Dallas Police Chief David Brown clarified that officials used a Remotec Andros Mark V-A1.

This is a guest post. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent positions of IEEE Spectrum or the IEEE. Last week, the Dallas police killed a suspected gunman with a bomb-delivering robot. It was a desperate measure for desperate times: five law enforcement officers were killed and several more wounded before the shooter was finally cornered. Of course, the shooter needed to be stopped; preventing further murder and mayhem is always a priority. But the method, a robot bomb, was so unorthodox that it raises many ethical and policy questions, if not also legal ones.

NEW YORK--When Dallas police detonated a "bomb robot" Thursday night to take down a sniper suspect, it was believed to be the first time a robot was used by law enforcement to kill a human being in the U.S. Dallas police chief David Brown explained in a press conference that "other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger." The action raises ethical questions about the role of robots in warfare, or in this case, police work, especially given continuing breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence. "I think for all of us, the first issue that comes to mind is some degree of relief," says Michael Kalichman, director of the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology. "While it's premature to judge exactly what happened, it certainly seems likely that this ended a tragedy that could have been far worse. However, we also can't help but think about where this will go next."

Following the tragic deaths of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, during a rally for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile on Thursday night, the Dallas Police Department deployed a small robot designed to investigate and safely discharge explosives. Officers attached a bomb to the robot ad hoc-style -- detonating it and killing the sniper while keeping the investigators out of harm's way. According to companies that manufacture bomb-disposal robots interviewed by The Intercept, none were aware of their bots ever being turned into lethal weapons, though one company acknowledged the robots could be adapted to hold weapons. A spokesperson from Pedsco, a company in Canada that supplies robots to other jurisdictions in Texas, confirmed that he did not "know of any instances of an explosive used to disable a suspect" attached to a robot owned by law enforcement. Pedsco would not comment on its own robots, citing possible confidentiality conflicts with customers, but pointed to instances where explosive ordnance disposal robots had been used offensively, such as a 1993 case where Prince George's County Police Department deployed a water cannon attached to a robot to disarm a suspect hiding in a closet.

Dallas police used a robot to kill a shooting suspect after 5 police officers were shot dead. Some are calling this tactic a first. Dallas police officers comfort each other in honor of the officers who were killed in a massive shootout Thursday. NEW YORK--When Dallas police detonated a "bomb robot" Thursday night to take down a sniper suspect, it was believed to be the first time a robot was used by law enforcement to kill a human being in the U.S. Dallas police chief David Brown explained in a press conference that "other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger." The action raises ethical questions about the role of robots in warfare, or in this case, police work, especially given continuing breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Dallas police respond after shots were fired during a protest over recent fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas. Snipers opened fire on police officers during protests; several officers were killed, police said. Dallas police respond after shots were fired during a protest over recent fatal shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, Thursday, July 7, 2016, in Dallas. Snipers opened fire on police officers during protests; several officers were killed, police said. When Dallas police used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper, they also kicked off an ethical debate about technology's use as a crime-fighting weapon.

When a police robot killed suspect Micah Johnson in Dallas early Friday morning, it was likely an unprecedented event. But according to Steve Ijames, recently retired assistant chief of police in Springfield, Missouri, and a recognized expert in SWAT tactics, it was not a watershed moment portending a weaponized robotic future. The standoff after the police massacre at a Black Lives Matter protest was unique for a number of reasons, he says. And it was likely the only choice the police had. The police department hasn't elaborated on the device the bomb-defusing robot used or how exactly it killed the suspect, nor on the circumstances that led to the decision.

Witness video shows people running away from the scene of the Dallas shooting as police head towards the scene and usher people back. NEW YORK--When Dallas police detonated a "bomb robot" Thursday night to take down a sniper suspect, it was believed to be the first time a robot was used by law enforcement to kill a human being in the U.S. Dallas police chief David Brown explained in a press conference that "other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger." The action raises ethical questions about the role of robots in warfare, or in this case, police work, especially given continuing breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence. "I think for all of us, the first issue that comes to mind is some degree of relief," says Michael Kalichman, director of the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology. "While it's premature to judge exactly what happened, it certainly seems likely that this ended a tragedy that could have been far worse. However, we also can't help but think about where this will go next."