[glatt]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

But seriously, malfunction, mis-identification, poor programming ... there is so much that can go wrong.

Even when they are programmed well, operator error will always sneak in.

From today's Washington Post:

NTSB Cites Lax Safety Controls, Pilot Error in Ariz. Drone Crash

By Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 17, 2007; Page A05

Sophisticated computer systems on a 10,000-pound unmanned drone were no match for its pilot's failure to follow a checklist when confronted with a computer glitch.

The mistake set off a chain of events that led the $6.5 million Predator-B to smash into the Arizona desert near Nogales, Ariz., the National Transportation Safety Board concluded yesterday. The NTSB also cited poor oversight by Customs and Border Protection officials as a factor in the April 2006 crash.

It was the first accident involving an unmanned vehicle that the NTSB investigated, and board members said they hoped their findings would prod government officials and the industry to regulate the growing use of drones in civil airspace.