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Videos of robotic dogs, especially those featuring the Boston Dynamics-designed Spot model, are usually pretty funny. But it’s a completely different kind of video that’s been circulating online for two days: the robot dog doesn’t dance to the rhythm, nor does it do any somersaults. Armed with an assault rifle, he is filmed firing at targets.
The video in question, posted to Twitter on July 20, quickly went viral. We see a robotic dog, similar to the one developed by Boston Dynamics, shooting at targets in a snowy environment. Note that the accuracy of the shot is non-existent and the robot also seems to have trouble handling the weapon’s recoil. However, this video, just over a minute long, reminds us that these robots, designed mainly for assistance or terrain reconnaissance purposes, could also play a macabre role.
“Anyone who laughed a few years ago about freaking out ‘concerned’ about ‘funny dancing robot dogs’ should be forced to watch this video once a day for the rest of the year,” wrote Sean Chiplock, who shared the video on his Twitter passed on account. Impossible to know if the robot is acting autonomously or if a person outside the camera is activating the trigger remotely. However, Vice magazine discovered that the video was probably shot in Russia.
The “toy” of a technology enthusiast
The original video (below) was posted to YouTube in March by a certain Alexander Atamanov. After some research, Vice discovered that Atamov is the founder of the Hoversurf company, which develops hovercraft. Enthusiastic about technology, he seems to have designed this shooting robot only for his own entertainment and does not seem to have any martial ambitions – even if he has officially christened this dog “Skynet”, as it says on his Facebook account.
Although it looks like the Boston Dynamics Spot robot, this model is completely different – as Vice journalists remind, there are many fakes of this robot on the market. The model featured in this video appears to be a UnitreeYusu product, which can be found on AliExpress for around $3,000. The weapon is most likely a PP-19 Vityaz – a Russian-made submachine gun.
Note that the robot is marked with distinctive characters on these sides: the Russian flag on one side, a wolf’s head on the other. This wolf’s head insignia is commonly associated with Russian special forces (or Spetsnaz), the magazine reports. But it can be bought in different places, and therefore its presence does not mean that the special forces have equipped themselves with killer dog robots… The armored vehicle that we see in the video also confirms the Russian origin of the video: it is t is a BDRM-2, a Russian vehicle, recognizable by its triangular door, most recently spotted in Ukraine.
A technology that is difficult to regulate
Boston Dynamics robotic dogs are not officially intended for use in armed conflicts. They are usually given more “decent” functions, such as B. performing agricultural tasks (guard, yield control, etc.) or inspecting places dangerous to humans. American law enforcement agencies use it for surveillance purposes, which is not always welcomed by the public.
However, spot robots have already been used in a military context – always for reconnaissance – including during military exercises by the French army. According to The Verge magazine, Boston Dynamics’ vice president of business development, Michael Perry, said at the time that the robot was supplied by a European distributor, Shark Robotics, and that the American company was not informed of this specific use.
Namely, that Boston Dynamics makes it a point of honor that its machines are never armed. The robot dog’s terms and conditions specifically prohibit its use “to harm or intimidate any person or animal, as a weapon or to enable the use of a weapon” or “for any unlawful or extremely dangerous purpose”. Spot robots have therefore never been equipped with a weapon (at least not to our knowledge).
Not so the Q-UGV robot, which can be equipped with an automatic sniper rifle developed by Ghost Robotics in collaboration with weapons manufacturer SWORD International. Unveiled at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in October 2021, this “killing machine” can hit its target at a range of 1200 meters. Opinions differ on this technique. While some see it as a stepping stone into a dark and dangerous world devoid of morals and ethics, others see little difference between these armed robotic dogs and the drones or other autonomous ground weapons already deployed.
It should be noted that the use of lethal autonomous weapons has not been regulated so far, despite several unsuccessful attempts by the UN to ban them. The United States and Russia, as well as other countries developing such weapons, firmly oppose any restrictions in this area.