Dog of War: Russian inventor posts a $3000 robot dog with a machine gun

 

Dog of War: Russian inventor posts a $3000 robot dog with a machine gun strapped to its back as it opens fire

It was uploaded by Alexander Atmanov, founder of a Russian bicycle company

A scary Black Mirror-reminiscent of a robot dog shooting a backpack-mounted machine gun — uploaded by the Russian founder of the hoverbike company — is a preview of futuristic warfare.

Alexander Atamanov, the founder of a Russian cycling company, uploaded the viral video, which shows the $3,000 online retail UnitreeYushu dog bot shooting up snow-capped hills outside, apparently simply making something to play with.

When self-driving drones are being used to target terrorists and the US military has a robot dog armed with a sniper rifle, the video is a terrifying reminder that this type of weapon is becoming a reality.

According to Vice, the robot dog, which his factory calls a 'tech dog,' appears to be carrying a Russian pistol known as the PP-19 Vityaz, a type of submachine gun based on the AK-47 design.

We don't know a lot about the miserable dog's abilities, but we can say that the robotic dog has trouble dealing with the gun's recoil: every time it fires, the robot has to rebalance itself.

Atamanov, based on his social media feed, apparently enjoying military-style gadgets, posted a photo on his Facebook page showing what looks like the same robot dog, but this time holding a cup of coffee instead of a machine gun.

The New York City-based Russian entrepreneur, who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering and law, and a master's degree in Innovation Operations Management, calls himself "the leading international pioneer and expert in personal aviation technology" on his LinkedIn. 

Boston Dynamics, the maker of its robotic dogs, has said it won't do this for people who intend to arm robots. However, agencies like the NYPD have already used them to patrol apartment buildings, drawing criticism from civil liberties advocates.

However, other companies are going after robotic dogs with violent abilities.

A robotic dog equipped with a 6.5mm Creedmoor sniper rifle capable of hitting targets up to 3,940 feet away was unveiled at a US Army trade fair in October.

The Unmanned Special Purpose (SPUR) rifle is the brainchild of Ghost Robotics and weapons manufacturer SWORD International in Sparks, Nevada.

The companies have not yet revealed the exact configuration of the weapon, nor how much ammunition the machine can carry or its rate of reloading.

However, tests have shown that 6.5 mm rounds used in the Creedmore rifle increase range over the currently used 7.62x51 mm cartridges.