killer robots

The fearsome armed robot dogs were part of a massive 15-day military exercise called Golden Dragon at a remote training center in central Cambodia and off the country’s coast.

During the drill, reporters watched staff take the robots for a walk, but reportedly They never fired from the machine guns mounted on their backs. In this way, only walking skills were demonstrated.

Such machines resemble classic four-legged robodogs, and the only external difference from consumer counterparts is the presence of a mount for the machine gun and, in fact, the weapon itself.

Vong Pisen, commander of the Cambodian armed forces, who opened the exercise, said that the new exercises will “increase the capabilities” of the two armies in the fight against terrorism.

This is indicative of a vision of what the future of warfare might look like. Experts have long warned that the use of armed drones, or “killer robots,” especially autonomous ones, is an ethical minefield that should be banned internationally on the battlefield.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen four-legged robots wielding weapons. Last year, the Pentagon said the US military was considering arming remote-controlled robot dogs with advanced rifles as part of a plan to “explore the world of the possible” in future wars. A US military contractor called Ghost Robotics has unveiled one such robot dog equipped with a long-range rifle.

It is interesting that the company Boston Dynamics, which made this form factor of robots the most popular, categorically states that attaching weapons to its robot dog contradicts its working conditions. The company has promised that it will not “weaponize the highly mobile general-purpose robots or software” it develops and will not support others to do so.

What is known about the “Golden Dragon” training:

• More than 2,000 military personnel, including 760 Chinese citizens, are participating in exercises at the distance learning center in the central province of Kampong Chhnang and at sea off the coast of Preah Sihanouk province.
• In addition, 14 warships, 2 helicopters and 69 armored vehicles and tanks also participated in the incident.
• Conflict combat, counter-terrorism and humanitarian rescue exercises are being carried out.