Quadruped robots are among the most exciting areas of robotics development in recent years. They are small, agile, and capable of traversing environments that wheeled machines often struggle with. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before someone armed a quadruped robot like this.
Robot equipped with SPUR rifle.
The image above shows a Vision 60 quadruped robot, manufactured by the American company Ghost Robotics – equipped with a custom rifle by weapon experts at Sword International. The rifle itself, known as the SPUR (Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle), is designed to mount on various types of robotic platforms. This rifle features a 30x optical zoom, thermal imaging for targeting in the dark, and an effective range of 1,200 meters.
Regardless, the armed robot is a concerning prospect.
It remains unclear whether Sword International or Ghost Robotics intends to commercialize this combination of weaponry and robotics. However, it seems likely they will soon, as Sword’s website proudly states: “The SWORD SPUR Defense System is the future of unmanned weapon systems, and that future is now.”
How these quadruped robots equipped with SPUR will function in practice is still unknown. It remains to be seen whether an operator will have to guide the robot to a hard-to-reach position and manually aim (which seems more likely) or if the robot will handle everything autonomously. Either way, it is a concerning prospect, not to mention the potential for hackers to take control of these robotic attack dogs.
Flying reconnaissance robot dog.
As if a robot dog with a mounted gun wasn’t crazy enough, Ghost Robotics tweeted about another integrated robot dog: a Lockheed Martin drone and a Digital Force Technologies reconnaissance sensor. Sniper robot dogs, flying reconnaissance robot dogs. The future looks bright, doesn’t it?
