WTF?! Russia has unveiled a robotic canine that carries an anti-tank rocket launcher on its again. While such a creation has loads of scary, Black Mirror-style implications, it seems to be little greater than a $2,700 machine purchasable from Alibaba, carrying an RPG it may not have the ability to hearth very properly (or in any respect), and dressed like a dog-ninja, for some motive.
President Vladimir Putin opened Russia’s “Army 2022” arms expo, which runs till August 22 on the Patriot Park in Kubinka, simply outdoors Moscow. Among the numerous navy weapons, automobiles, and different equipment on present was the M-81, a canine-like quadrupedal robotic resembling Boston Dynamics’ well-known Spot, besides it carries an RPG-26 on its again and is wearing a ninja-yoroi.
Russian information company RIA Novosti posted a video of the M-81 scuttling about and mendacity down on the expo, which might have been fairly cute had been it not hauling round a weapon of mass destruction.
Video of the M-81 robot-dog armed with an RPG-26 on the Army 2022 protection expo. pic.twitter.com/BEDjnwstN0
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 15, 2022
The creators mentioned, “this can be a pattern of the M-81 robotic system, able to conducting aimed capturing and transporting weapons, and for civilian functions it may be used within the emergency zone for reconnaissance, passage via rubble and supply of medicines.”
While the outline sounds mildly regarding, The Drive did some digging and located the canine appears to be like suspiciously like Unitree Robotic’s UnitreeYushuTechnologyDog, obtainable from Chinese market Alibaba for as little as $2,700. That in all probability explains why it is dressed like a little bit ninja: to cover its origins somewhat than to scare/confuse enemies or lull them right into a false sense of safety. Spot, for comparability, prices round $75,000.
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— Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 15, 2022
Assuming this actually is considered one of Unitree’s fashions, and it actually seems that manner, it means the canine was not produced by the Russian producer exhibiting it off—past them slapping a rocket launcher on its again—and it is actually not designed to be used in a navy situation. This factor is unlikely to final lengthy in a fight zone, even with the ninja garb.
There’s additionally a query of how properly the robotic operates the weapon. It may have the ability to carry the RPG-26 anti-tank rocket launcher, however whether or not it may goal or stand the shock of firing is one other matter, regardless of the comparatively gentle recoil.
It appears Unitree’s robotic canines are common for this kind of factor. Russian-born inventor Alexander Atamanov confirmed one off with a submachine gun strapped to its again final month.
There was one other robotic canine, this one from Ghost Robotics, carrying a Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle, or SPUR, on present on the Association of the U.S. Army’s fundamental annual conference in Washington, D.C, final October. That explicit machine (above) appeared much more intimidating than ninja canine.
