A Robot Dog With A Big Gun Was Just Introduced

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 14 October 2021, 07:10 pm

A robot made for war is merely the figment of a Hollywood writer's imagination, right? Well, after reading this news, that's not true anymore.

(Photo : Getty Images )

Just when you thought robotics technology would remain benevolent, some company does this: a robot dog with a big gun attached to its back. And it's a sniper rifle, no less:

SPUR (Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle), @Ghost_Robotics Q-UGV + @SWORDINT 6.5 Creedmoor
CC @august_cole @MelanieRovery pic.twitter.com/S1D25xYwec
— Abraxas Spa (@AbraxasSpa) October 12, 2021

The robot is the product of two companies: Ghost Robotics and S.W.O.R.D. Defense Systems, according to Gizmodo. That sniper rifle on its back is called a SPUR, or Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle.

Official specs on the rifle include a 30x zoom thermal camera which, as reported, can allow the robot war dog's human operator to spot living targets in pitch black darkness.

This robot was first introduced at the annual conference of the Association of the United States Army, which was held in Washington D.C.

Brief Creator Backgrounds

First off, the robotics company responsible for the four-legged robot itself is Ghost Robotics.

As for S.W.O.R.D. Defense Systems, they do war machines and defense systems including short, medium, and long-range war tech.

The Dawn of Robot Armies?

The SPUR sniper rifle attached to the erstwhile is designed to "offer precision fire from unmanned platforms." And, as per its official webpage, the SPUR-Vision60 combo is also equipped with camouflage that keeps it undetectable even in night vision.

In other words, this robot dog can spot you way before you spot it. Given its 1200 meter effective range, enemy combatants will likely never see it coming, especially during night time.

As per Ghost Robotics, the robot dog model used here is their Vision60 quadruped. Vision60 is designed for both "government and enterprise users," as per Ghost Robotics.

They also made the quadruped good enough to keep its balance even when walking on ice, as shown in this video:

This level of movement precision is proof of the massive advancements in robotics, which was also showcased by Boston Dynamics' parkour robots.

So far, the robot dog has been reportedly tested by both the US and Australian armed forces, as per the original report from Gizmodo. But since Ghost Robotics made it clear that they're also offering it to enterprise customers, one can assume that other non-military organizations won't be as open to their deployment of this thing.

Robotics for 'Keeping The Peace'

For now, robotics is still trying to advance the tech as much as they can, but with less menacing qualities. A good example is the "police robot" that Singapore deployed to help with the nation's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing surveillance and reminding people to follow health protocols.

It's understandable if some people could look at this tech and feel a bit threatened. After all, those movies, TV shows, and comic books weren't kidding about their portrayal of robot armies.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce