The Ukrainian Armed Forces have shown a robot dog that is already being used in combat. The robotic dog with AI conducts reconnaissance, quickly and easily overcoming obstacles on the ground, and in the near future may receive weapons or even turn into a kamikaze.
The Unitree Go2 PRO robotic dog is already being used by servicemen from the Kurt & Company unit of the 28th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Toretsk direction in the Donetsk region, publishing the corresponding video in his Telegram channel.
In videos filmed in Toretsk, you can see the robot moving quickly across rough terrain, filming the road ahead. Thanks to its compact size and a special handle on its back, the military can easily carry the robot in their hands and place it in the trunk of a car. The caption to one of the videos says:
“From spears and bows many generations ago, we have moved on to weapons with artificial intelligence!”
The name of the robot dog is not specified, but, apparently, it is Unitree Go2 PRO produced by the Chinese company Unitree Robotics. On the official website of the manufacturer, you can see different modifications of the robot dog, including one with a handle on its back.
Unitree Go2 PRO has a hemispherical viewing angle of 360°×90° and an ultra-small dead zone. The robot is equipped with artificial intelligence, which allows it to overcome obstacles and master more complex steps – walking upside down and turning over. In addition, Unitree Go2 PRO users can use a special application to create a map of a specific area from points and control the autonomous movement of the robot along a pre-programmed route. Technical characteristics of Unitree Go2 PRO are given edition “Focus”:
- weight with battery – about 15 kg;
- load – approximately 8 kg (limit approximately 10 kg);
- dimensions standing – 70x31x40cm;
- dimensions when switched off and in a lying position – 76x31x20cm;
- speed of movement – approximately 3.5 m/s;
- remote control distance is more than 30 m;
- maximum angle of ascent – 40°;
- Battery life is about 1-2 hours.
The author of the popular Russian Telegram channel “Russian Engineer” responded to the photo and video with the robot dog. He complained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces use the mechanical dog as a reconnaissance agent, and in the future they can install weapons on it or turn it into a kamikaze by attaching a couple of mines to the body. In addition, the author of the publication believes that the cross-country ability of such a robot is higher than that of wheeled and tracked chassis, since it can easily jump over a small ditch or obstacle.
In May, the Chinese military took part in the Golden Dragon 2024 exercise in Cambodia, where it demonstrated a robotic dog equipped with a machine gun. And in April, Throwflame, an Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturer, released the world's first robotic dog with a flamethrower for remotely starting a fire.
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