Rocket-launching robot dog showcased at Russian arms fair


Presented at an exhibition of military devices in Moscow, the M-81 is a robot-dog equipped with an RPG-26 rocket-propelled grenade launcher. However, it bears an uncanny resemblance to another robot dog, available on Alibaba.

What if armies were soon replaced by robots? In recent years, what could only seem like fiction until some time ago has gradually become reality. Last highlight to date: the Armée-2022 exhibition, which takes place from August 15 to 21, during which the Russian government exhibits its latest generation military devices. Among them is the M-81, an autonomous robot dog equipped with an RPG-26 rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

All dressed in black, the robot has a slot at eye level where two cameras are placed. The M-81 is “able to perform aimed fire and carry weapons“, the developers reported to RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency. Additionally, “for civilian purposes, it can be used in the emergency area for reconnaissance, passing through the rubble and delivering medicine“.

A copy-paste of a Chinese robot dog?

However, serious doubts remain about the effectiveness of the M-81. Not having presented in action, there is no evidence that the robot-dog is able to withstand the backlash of a rocket fire or even to aim from afar with its small size.

Finally, a tweet relayed by Rob Lee, a specialist in Russian defense policy, warns that the M-81 strangely resembles the UnitreeYushuTechnologyDog from Unitree Robotics. Creation of the Chinese start-up specializing in quadruped robots, it is available on Alibaba at a price of around $3,000. However, this one is not designed for war at all.

Thus, the Russian developers may have thought to fool the crowds by dressing the robot in black and equipping it with a rocket launcher. Now, it remains to be seen if this robot will one day be used by the Russian army or if it will not go beyond the stage of a gadget.





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