Flyers slipped in dorms call for campaign against Penn’s involvement in creating militarized Ghost Robotics
Photo Credit: Sarah Mester
By Sarah Mester
Fliers calling for a phone campaign against Pennovation Works, Penn admin, and Ghost Robotics staff due to Ghost “assisting the IDF in occupied Palestine and helping ICE in policing the US border” were slipped under the doors of many Rodin and Guttman College House dorms the evening of November 17, including on Rodin’s second floor, which houses the Jewish Cultural Studies Program (JCS).
The time and date listed for the campaign is 9:00 am-12:00 pm on November 18, with the location listed as being virtual. Potential participants are asked to RSVP via a QR code found on the flier that links to a questionnaire.
It is unknown at this time who or which organization distributed these flyers.
The referenced Ghost Robotics’s Vision 60 Quadrupedal-Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or Q-UG, has been tested by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) as an option to “replace or reinforce” specialty Israeli K-9 combat units in order to “avoid harming soldiers and dogs.” The US Army has also reportedly begun testing the robot, although it is unclear if the robot has been used in real combat situations by the IDF or the US Army.
Sarah Mester is a senior in the College studying Political Science and Classics from San Francisco, CA. She’s the Assistant News Editor for The Pennsylvania Post. Her email is smester@sas.upenn.edu.
