China's military has unveiled robot dogs that are capable of assessing targets and carrying machine guns.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15911898

China has showcased robot dogs capable of firing machine guns in the latest display of its military prowess.

The remote-controlled robots were unveiled during a military training exercise conducted by China and Cambodia earlier this month.

According to a video shared by state broadcaster CCTV, the battery-operated robodogs can function independently for between two and four hours and are capable of moving forward and backward, lying down, and jumping.

They can also plan routes, approach targets, and avoid obstacles, the video said. One of the robots shown in the video was fitted with a rifle to shoot targets, according to CCTV.

Chen Wei, a Chinese soldier, told CCTV that the robot dogs will “serve as a new member in urban combat operations” and can replace the role of human soldiers in identifying and striking targets.

  • Spaceinv8er@sh.itjust.works
    17·
    28 days ago

    I mean… Is this new? When everyone saw Spot from Boston Dynamics we all knew this was gonna be a thing.

    Or any dystopian movie about robots that’s been made in the past 15 years

  • an_onanist@lemmy.world
    13·
    28 days ago

    Looks like a couple of high-school kids bought a robot from Ali Baba, 3D printed a few mounts, then added a gun and a gopro.

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝OPMAEnglish
      11·
      28 days ago

      You may not be far off:

      The robot dogs appeared to be supplied by the Chinese manufacturer Unitree, Axios said. The robot dogs on Unitree’s website cost between $2,800 and $100,000.

      So, yes, they have adapted commercially available robots. Handy for a proof-of-concept before you start manufacturing bespoke ones.

  • Pennomi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    28 days ago

    Why would you ever use this when you could instead have a cluster of suicide quadcopters with grenades for the same price? It has almost all of the vulnerabilities and few of the benefits.

    • Coelacanth@feddit.nu
      5·
      28 days ago

      My first thought too. I guess drones aren’t stable enough platforms for machine gun fire, and they want something that’s reusable? Still not sold on this thing.

      • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝OPMAEnglish
        6·
        28 days ago

        I imagine you’d need a big drone to compensate for the recoil and if you can use a smaller one for drooping bombs or firing missiles it might not seem worth it. I think the key is this is aimed at urban warfare and, as the Iraq War demonstrated, going house-to-house is one of the more dangerous aspects of that. Unarmed drones are already checking rooms to save soldier’s lives and the next step is to give one a gun to shoot anyone it can find. What could possibly go wrong?

    • dumbass@leminal.space
      5·
      28 days ago

      I dunno, hearing “ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ” and seeing drones coming isn’t as scary as seeing something running at you on all fours with a gun as it’s face.

    • NaibofTabr@infosec.pubEnglish
      3·
      28 days ago

      You might not want to detonate a grenade where your target is. This definitely wouldn’t be a method for fighting regular infantry. I think it might see more use in police actions.

        • NaibofTabr@infosec.pubEnglish
          3·
          28 days ago

          After watching the video I’m still not clear on whether the gun can be rotated independently. It kind of looks like it only points and fires in the direction the machine is facing.

          Basically I think almost anybody could jump to the side and avoid the line of fire before the operator could manage to line up a shot. This thing doesn’t turn particularly fast. I think actually hitting someone with a taser dart would be nearly impossible.

  • _lilith@lemmy.world
    9·
    28 days ago

    lol its literally taped on there. Like they made a whole robot but they couldn’t’ design a gun to fit it. Why does it have a butt stock and a hand grip? is it supposed to be removable? also its not belt fed or anything so that’s a manual reload by an operator every 30 shots or so

    • NaibofTabr@infosec.pubEnglish
      3·
      28 days ago

      After thinking about a bit, it does kind of make sense. If the intent is to deploy these with an infantry unit, then equipping it with the rifle that the infantry are already using is convenient. Same ammunition, same magazine, same replacement parts, same maintenance routine - no additional training or logistics required. Any member of the unit is already able to reload and field strip that weapon.

      But yes this definitely isn’t a front-line combat device. It’s for clearing out buildings in urban engagements.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    3·
    28 days ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    China has showcased robot dogs capable of firing machine guns in the latest display of its military prowess.

    The remote-controlled robots were unveiled during a military training exercise conducted by China and Cambodia earlier this month.

    According to a video shared by state broadcaster CCTV, the battery-operated robodogs can function independently for between two and four hours and are capable of moving forward and backward, lying down, and jumping.

    Back in 2022, Business Insider reported that China had developed a robot dog that carried a machine gun and could be deployed via drone.

    “Living fighters will gradually begin to be replaced by their robotic ‘brothers’ who can act faster, more accurately, and more selectively than people,” Vitaly Davydov, deputy director of Russia’s Advanced Research Foundation, said in an interview with RIA cited by Forbes in April 2020.

    According to its website, the company specializes in robots that can remotely inspect hazardous environments, conduct rescue missions, and perform other logistics operations.

    The original article contains 408 words, the summary contains 160 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!