By Jason Collins | Posted
War technology has made great strides during the two world wars, and unmanned drones have been around for just as long. The first unmanned aerial vehicle, the Kettering Bug, was actually deployed in 1918. Although it was used only in limited wartime, it was a stepping stone to modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). But as if artificial killing birds alone weren’t enough, recent advances have led to actual robotic war dogs, or robot dog armies, now deployed in Ukraine.
Check it out for yourself:
The robot dog army is actually supplied by the British company Robot Alliance, and while the individual units themselves are not autonomous, given the advancements in AI technology, we don’t think such models will be too far off. Instead, each of these 30 mechanized puppies is individually remotely controlled by military engineers, representing a walking version of the ubiquitous aerial drone. Their purpose in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is to sniff out Russian soldiers. This is metaphorical. The robots have no “sniff” sensors and cannot detect traps.
When covered in camouflage paint and camouflage blankets, units of the robot dog army cannot be detected.
The robot dog army units are designed to explore buildings, trenches, forests, and any areas where drones cannot fly. According to the robot dog army specifications, these dogs can run up to 9 mph, which is the running speed of a recreational runner (jogging is only about 4-6 mph), have a battery life of 5 hours, and a range of up to 2 miles. Additionally, if an enemy captures any of these units, their onboard data can be immediately destroyed to prevent the enemy from obtaining information.
Their purpose in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is to sniff out Russian soldiers. This is a metaphorical expression. The robots do not have “sniff” sensors and cannot detect traps.
Each individual unit costs between $4400 and $8800, depending on the model and complexity of the setup, and when covered in camouflage paint and camouflage blankets, the units in the robot dog army are undetectable. This applies to both visual detection and thermal imaging, which is important considering that the harsh winter conditions in the region tend to make heat signature detection much easier.
However, the supplier of the robot dog army is a security company that provides a wide range of protection services, military training, drone surveillance and security. In other words, they are not a robot manufacturer, and the robots they are supplying to Ukraine are actually Chinese Unitree Go2 Pros, quadruped walking robots that are equivalent to DJI quadcopters. They are efficient and high-spec machines that anyone can easily obtain at a relatively low cost.
According to the robot dog army’s specifications, the pups can run up to 9 miles per hour, the speed of a recreational runner, have a battery life of 5 hours, and a range of up to 2 miles.
Now, it’s important to note that these little robot dog army machines actually pack some pretty powerful hardware, and the version provided to the Brit Alliance (which is what they’re supplying to Ukraine) is very likely modified with custom software to better suit their military applications. And aside from being scouts, they can carry up to 9 pounds of payload, so they can carry ammunition or other supplies on the battlefield, but it’s only a matter of time before someone starts arming them with weapons.
