Not robots - remotes. I assume they will have screens showing the faces of the officers controlling them, like that kid who has really bad allergies that attends school with the use of his *not-a-robot* technology. I don't know how they're going to protect the remote, and I can't help but feel it's not a good idea to…

It's a British idiom. I found a discussion board. http://painintheenglish.com/case/4298