An Australian pensioner has reportedly killed himself after building a “suicide robot” from plans downloaded from the internet.

The 81-year-old, from Queensland, set up the machine to remotely fire a semi-automatic pistol.

When he activated it, it fired several shots into his head.

The man, who lived alone, left a suicide note saying he was unhappy at being forced by relatives to move into care home.

Full details of how the machine worked have not been released.

The man explained in his notes that he set the machine up on his driveway as he knew there were builders next door, and they would be alerted by the sound of gunshot.

There has been a recent increase in the use of robots for military purposes.

The US Military is leading the way in creating the technology for robot weapons, while Britain’s Ministry of Defence is spending money on unmanned bombers.

But one academic recently warned that killer robots could become a weapon of choice for terrorists.

Noel Sharkey, professor of robotics at the University of Sheffield, said: “Once the new weapons are out there, they will be fairly easy to copy. How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act?”
[Posted at: Man Kills Himself With Suicide Robot]