Russian experts are developing robots designed to minimize casualties in terrorist attacks and neutralize terrorists, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.

Robots could also help evacuate injured servicemen and civilians from the scene of a terrorist attack, said Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry.

Other anti-terror equipment Russia is developing includes systems that can see terrorists through obstacles and effectively engage them in a standoff mode at a long distance without injuring their hostages, he said.

Rogozin did not say when the equipment might be deployed by Russia’s security and intelligence services.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized fully autonomous weapons, known as “killer robots,” which would be able to select and engage targets without human intervention and called for the preemptive prohibition on such weapons.

“Fully autonomous weapons do not exist yet, but they are being developed by several countries and precursors to fully autonomous weapons have already been deployed by high-tech militaries,” HRW said in a statement on its website.

“Some experts predict that fully autonomous weapons could be operational in 20 to 30 years,” the statement added.

“These weapons would be incapable of meeting international humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity. The weapons would not be constrained by the capacity for compassion, which can provide a key check on the killing of civilians,” HRW said.

“Fully autonomous weapons also raise serious questions of accountability because it is unclear who should be held responsible for any unlawful actions they commit.” (RIA Novosti)