China are testing robot dogs equipped with automatic rifles as fears of an imminent invasion of Taiwan soar.
The killer remote-controlled canines were shown off during a 15-day exercise in Cambodia, called Golden Dragon, held with Chinese and Cambodian troops.
The joint drill saw over 2,000 soldiers, 14 warships, two helicopters, and 69 armoured vehicles/tanks.
The new robot dogs were also involved but reportedly did not fire any shots during the exercise.
Chinese ships were sent to the country amid US concerns about the Chinese naval presence at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, which has been recently expanded with Beijing’s backing.
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Unitree, which produces the B1 robo dogs apparently adapted for military use in the drills, have been approached for comment.
Experts have predicted a terrifying future where unmanned bots dominate the battlefields of future wars, and killer drones have become a key weapon in Ukraine for both Russia and Kyiv’s forces.
Robot dogs built by Ghost Robotics took part in an exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in 2020 and others have since been sent to Cape Cod Space Force Station in Massachusetts, Axios reports.
Last year, the US Marine Corps tested a rocket launcher on the back of what dubbed a robotic goat.
No timeline has been given for deploying robotic goats, but the exercise was described as giving “Marines the opportunity to test emerging technology in an unscripted force-on-force exercise”.
It is concerning to see the escalation of militarized robot technology, especially in regions of high tension. The potential use of remote-controlled canines armed with automatic rifles raises serious ethical and safety questions. This trend towards unmanned bots dominating the battlefield is indeed alarming and requires careful international regulation.