San Francisco supervisors have voted unanimously to reverse a previous decision to authorise police to use robots equipped with lethal weapons.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) said it had no plans to arm the robots with guns but wanted the ability to equip robots with explosive charges "to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects".
The policy instantly faced fierce criticism from civil liberties groups, with some saying arming robots was a step too close to something one would see in a dystopian science-fiction movie.
Dr Catherine Connolly, from the group Stop Killer Robots, told the BBC the move was a "slippery slope" that could distance humans from killing.
Three of the city's supervisors were opposed to the motion from the start and joined dozens of protesters on Monday (5 December) outside City Hall to urge the board to change course.
They chanted and held signs with phrases like...