Robot Dogs With AI Rifles Deployed By The Army

With the name “Lone Wolf” etched on the side of the gun turret, the robot dog seems to be carrying the military’s artificial intelligence system that the department used late in the summer during exercises in Fort Drum, New York.

The U.S. Army spokesman reported that the robot dog seen in the photo from the Red Sands testing was but one of 15 counter-drone examples that were being used to actively fire at ground targets. The spokesman did not give any details on exactly what the potential use for this particular armed AI robot dog might be, but previous military exercises paint what could be an accurate picture.

A report from Army Recognition, using the same photo of the robot dog that was released by the military, states that this new technology was being used to test anti-drone defense systems. The publication referenced the aforementioned August training exercise in Fort Drum, named Operation Hard Kill, where live fire training took place over the course of several weeks. According to the source, the military is attempting to make Fort Drum the “premier” training center for counter-uncrewed aerial systems attacks on U.S. troops and installations.

As odd as this news may seem to some, these instances are not the first use of robot dogs by the United States military. The Department of Defense has been building up to the latest technology for the past several years, using different types of robotic canines to complete important tasks that include disposing of explosive ordinances, assisting with intelligence and surveillance, acquiring enemy targets, and elevating security needed along perimeters at various military installations.

Though a newer type of tool the military uses, they have been shown to be effective in going where human soldiers might experience harm and, unlike flesh-and-blood soldiers, they don’t need rest or rations.

One goal that the United States military has for these robot dogs is to develop them so that they can be more effective than soldiers at tracking potential threats. Drone dogs that are equipped with the proper weaponry can carry the skills and precision that will allow them to identify and take down enemy threats in ways that a human soldier cannot, all while not putting any of the nation’s troops in harm’s way.

The United States is not the only global power that has toyed with the idea of robot dogs, either. Earlier this spring, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army debuted its own robot dog while on a training exercise in Cambodia. Armed with a QBZ-95 assault rifle, the robot dog was shown in training exercises that included breaching enemy lines in step with China‘s human soldiers.

Source: DVIDS