Horrible robot dog carrying rockets and guns jumps into human warfare
Dogs were introduced to the human world between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago and have since become the closest companion animals to humans. In that sense, the robot dog can be said to be the most familiar form of robot to perform human commands at close range. Is it possible that the long-standing relationship between dogs and humans is responsible for the enthusiasm of robot developers to develop a quadrupedal robot, commonly referred to as a robot dog?
Unlike humanoid robots that are bipedal, robot dogs have an advantage in that they can easily balance their body while moving. Various devices such as cameras, sensors, and robot arms can be easily added to the head or back, so it has a wide range of uses.
Boston Dynamics' 'SpotMini', acquired by Hyundai Motor Group, is a representative robot dog developed so far. With flexible and agile movements, he climbs up and down the stairs and gets up with ease even if he falls down like a ponytail.
Spotmini, launched in 2020, is currently being used for various purposes such as inspection, surveillance, filming, and patrol at industrial sites such as factories and construction sites, as well as parks, hospitals, police, and cultural sites.
The starting point of the robot dog Spotmini was originally a military quadrupedal robot. Founded by a professor of robotics at MIT, the company's first project was to develop a large porter robot for the military that could carry loads. It was after it was acquired by Google in 2013 that it started developing a robot dog that could be further reduced in size and used in the private sector.
Boston Dynamics says it will not sell the Spotmini to people who want to use the robot as a weapon or lethal weapon. However, there are still concerns about the possibility of robot dogs being used as killer robots for crime or lethality. In fact, robots that can amplify such concerns are appearing one after another.
A robot dog equipped with a disposable anti-tank rocket 'RPG-26' appeared at the Russia 2022 Arms Fair (Army-2022) held recently in Moscow.
In a video uploaded by Russian state news agency Rianovosti, a robot dog with a rocket on its back appears in motion, such as lying on its stomach, standing up, or changing direction. His body is covered in black and only his eyes are exposed, reminiscent of the ninja assassin in the movie.
The communications, in the words of the developers, "the robotic system, dubbed the M81, could be used by the military for shooting and transporting weapons, and by the civilian world for field investigations in urgent areas, delivering medicines, traversing rough terrain, and being a target on the battlefield. It can also be used for designation, patrol and security missions.”
Weapons on Chinese robots?
Foreign media reported that the robot appears to be a modified version of the robot Go1 sold by Chinese robot maker Unitry Robotics. The robot's consumer products are on sale at an online mall for $2,700 (about 3.7 million won).
This isn't the first time a robotic dog can be used for killing.
Earlier, online media 'Motherboard' introduced a video of 'Skynet', a Russian robot dog equipped with a submachine gun in July.
In this video, there is a scene where a robot dog is practicing shooting while walking around what appears to be a shooting range. It is unknown if the robot dog is shooting itself or if someone is pulling the trigger remotely.
'Motherboard' reported that "The gun appears to be a Russian submachine gun Vityaz (PP-19 Vityaz) based on the AK-74.
There is a non-killing clause
In the United States, a robot dog equipped with a weapon was introduced.
At the annual meeting of the American Army Association (AUSA) held in Washington last October, Gostrobotics, a developer of quadrupedal robots, introduced a robotic dog Q-UGV (quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles) with a remote-controlled rifle on its back. The company described the robot as an "agile and robust legged ground drone", claiming "wide-ranging use in military and homeland security applications."
Jiren Farik, CEO of the company, said in an interview with the technology media 'IEEE Spectrum', "The robot dog doesn't handle the rifle by itself, the robot is just a moving cradle, and whether a person fires is controlled remotely." He added that the robot was developed to minimize the risk by keeping the trigger puller away from the weapon.
The fact that a robot dog equipped with a weapon has started to appear at the official event means that the robot dog has also started to join the stage of the killer robot controversy, regardless of whether it is actually used in the field.
Boston Dynamics' Terms of Sale stipulates that "all buyers must use the product in compliance with the law and must not use it to harm or threaten any person or animal, nor to use it as a weapon or to mount a weapon". .
However, it is difficult to expect that non-compulsory terms and conditions will be maintained in general market practice.
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