A video of a robot-dog resembling Spot, the famous Boston Dynamics model, is circulating on the Web. It shows the robot having fun with a machine gun on a vacant lot.
Since Boston Dynamics robots are running and jumping all over the place, the most pessimistic among us expect them to be used for more nefarious purposes. It is therefore not surprising to finally see, in this month of July 2022, a video of a mechanical dog equipped with a submachine gun and shooting at targets on a training ground. But it would seem, however, that the robot is only a copy of those designed by Boston Dynamics.
According to the media Vice, this robot would be an imitation of Spot, manufactured by Unitree and sold for around 3000 dollars on AliExpress. The robot’s feet, the placement of the ports and the coverings of the joints thus seem to betray the origin of the product. As for those who exploit this robot, it could be Russians, although it is not known for sure if they are simple nerd or soldiers.
All the people who laughed off the “worrywarts” years ago for freaking out about the Funny Dancing Robot Dogs ™ should be forced to watch this video once a day for the remainder of the year. pic.twitter.com/WBIrlGah3w
— Sean Chiplock (@sonicmega) July 20, 2022
In any case, multiple clues point to Russia. On the left side of the robot, there is a Russian flag, while the other side sports a wolf’s head associated with the Russian special forces (Spetnaz). In another video from the channel, a man wears a similar patch on his arm. The weapon is also Russian (a PP-19 Vityaz) and the armored vehicle parked on the right is a BDRM-2, a Russian car still used today in Ukraine.
The demonstration is not really impressive, the robot having a lot of trouble finding its balance and not resisting much to the recoil of the weapon. It is in any case worrying because it shows that this kind of system is not so difficult to set up, especially on a robot at a derisory price. We also do not know if the shots are automated or if a very human operator is responsible for aiming and triggering the trigger remotely.
For its part, Boston Dynamics has repeatedly stated that its robot dogs will not be sold to people who intend to use them as weapons. Others are less scrupulous.