Marines with the Tactical Training and Exercise Control Group recently conducted a proof-of-concept test of a quadruped robot firing an M72 rocket launcher, according to a Marine Corps news release. Last year a St Petersburg company offered a rocket-armed robot dog to the Russian military; this appears to be based on the same robot used by the Marines which is a type made in China. The demonstration, carried out at a firing range at Twentynine Palms in California, was focused on the Kairos remote trigger mechanism rather than the robot. This offers a safe, reliable means to fire a weapon from a distance. The robot dog (which the Marines call a ‘robotic goat’) was simply a convenient platform used to test different tactical ways of using the trigger, and appears to have been purchased as an off-the-shelf commercial item. This is the latest of many efforts to weaponize robot dogs. These have ranged from demonstrations like the polemical Spot’s Rampage – an art installation with a paintball gun to highlight the risks of armed robots – and the lighthearted I Did A Thing video on YouTube of a home-made rifle robot to more serious efforts. These include a Ghost Robotics quadruped with a 6.5mm rifle pod from Sword Defense , reportedly able to hit human-sized targets from several hundred meters. A number of videos originating from China also show armed Unitree robots, like the one used by the Marines. These seem to be largely improvised projects, in the same spirit as the many hastily-assembled but highly effective drone bombers used in Ukraine.

Full story : U.S. Marines Test Robot Dog Armed With A Rocket Launcher.