I'll go with a segmented mirror that is assembled is space.
oskarsb
Possible collisions with space trash seems like a problem.
Mel Tisdale
George Orwell only got the date wrong.
Bob Tackett
Mel got it right. Starting out, the story looked like it would be a great way for looking deeper and better into space (it should be useful for that too) but the article lets us know that it's primarily for looking at earth, by DARPA.
f8lee
Well, since the NRO's keyhole satellites can resolve down to 4 inches (probably less - that's what declassified) it's not as if world watching scopes haven't been around for decades anyway. This is just a lighter technology with potentially more weakness (as @oskarsb points out)
dsiple
I doubt the new thinking robots will follow Azimov's rules of robotics.....
Stacy Young
It would be great if they developed this technology to better see the universe, but to better able to spy on us with it??
Pin
They're pointing it in the wrong direction.
Slowburn
@ dsiple
Walking in a park on a sunny day can be seen as harm coming to you. All that nasty UV.
Asimov's 3 laws of robotics are poorly thought out.