Posted on 10/14/2021 8:26:49 PM PDT by algore
A robot dog design armed with a 6.5 mm Creedmoor sniper rifle capable of precisely hitting targets from 3,940 feet away has been unveiled at the US Army trade show.
The 'Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle' (SPUR) is the brainchild of Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics and arms manufacturer SWORD International of Sparks, Nevada.
Placed on top of one of Ghost Robotics' existing 'quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle' designs, SPUR can be remotely instructed to load, unload and fire its rifle.
The firms have yet to reveal the exact configuration of the weapon, nor how much ammunition the machine is capable of carrying or its reload rate.
However, tests have shown that the 6.5mm rounds used in the Creedmoor rifle offer an increase in range over the 7.62x51mm cartridges currently used by US forces.
It is also presently unclear how much each robot unit and SPUR attachment will cost to purchase and maintain.
The arming of robots with SPUR — while arguably an inevitable development not that distinct from other unmanned ground weapons — is still likely to stir up controversy.
In contrast, for example, competitor Boston Dynamics — known for their oft-dancing robot dog 'Spot' — have committed to never arming any of their bots with weapons.
And the prospect of weaponised robot dogs turning on and killings humans was brought to discomforting life in the 2017 Black Mirror episode 'Metalhead'.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Yikes!
Yikes!
Make them autonomous, data-link them to surveillance drones, and call them, oh, I dunno, Skynet...
I don’t remember voting for this.
Why aren’t lunar and Martian rovers based on a dog model?
This is a problem. How do you counter them at that distance?
Can it release itself from a bear trap?
electro magnetic pulse and its out.....no worries.
“US Army trade show”
Trade show?? Does this mean it’s available for sale to the public??
Yikes, indeed.
See how it works in a ghillies suit.
I’m assuming it can only engage one target at a time. I would think the hard part would be even knowing this thing was deployed.
These could be maneuvered into recon positions and wait for as long as the batteries last for targets of opportunity.
Creepy. Maybe you could blind it’s optical sensor with a high powered laser.
Imagine one of these getting inside a house through an open window while the homeowner is asleep. The noise wakes up the homeowner. When he opens his eyes the robot is looking at him straight in the face, its weapon locked and loaded.
Who needs soldiers to turn on their citizens when they can just buy these.......with the citizens money even.
Can one aim a laser 3/4 of a mile?
I think they would wait outside half a mile away and when you walk out the front door... bam.
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