Intro

Good morning and welcome to the future 👋

That technology is playing an ever-greater role in warfare is no secret. One new development, however, may lead some observers to question where the line between robotics and human intervention should be drawn.

Today’s update is 433 words, 2.1 minutes

Snippets

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1-Big Thing

Robodog with a Gun

Source: twitter

What’s the deal: Two US defense firms have strapped a sniper rifle to a robot dog and are marketing it as the future of warfare.

The terrifying combination is depicted in all its dystopian glory in an image shared on Twitter by military robot maker Ghost Robotics.

At this point the robot’s level of autonomy is unclear. It is also not clear if it is designed to be fully remote-controlled.

Why it matters: Losing human soldiers in battle has become an unbearable burden for Western democracies.

Military drones, which were a beacon of hope in the quest to solve the problem, have caused a significant number of civilian deaths.

Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicles or Q-UGV for short might be the Army’s next big hope.

Our take: This dog is more than just a non-functional prototype. Who are these robots supposed to kill? Will they be used by the military or the police? Will they operate independently or be remote-controlled by humans? There are many open questions.

But, one thing is clear: Q-UGV carrying weaponry are the future of warfare. In some countries, they may even be the future for the police. It is just a matter of time.

For more infos see Twitter →.