At Russia’s annual Army-2022 international arms expo on Monday, a robotic dog with an anti-tank rocket launcher mounted to its back quickly went viral.
According to investigative media, a consumer-grade robotic dog marketed on Chinese online markets has a startling resemblance to the future equipment.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency in Russia produced a video in which the ‘M-81 Complex,’ a quadruped, was shown rotating, lying down, and walking.
According to The Moscow Times, the Russian company that built the robotic dog, Machine Intellect, boasted of its ability to carry and fire weapons.
Additional military applications for the M-81 include target selection, patrolling, and security, a company official told RIA Novosti. The robotic dog’s civilian responsibilities include navigating rubble in disaster zones, carrying medicine, and looking around.
The Go1 companion robot, created by the Chinese start-up Unitree Robotics, is physically similar to the robot’s general chassis as well as the design and positioning of those optical sensors.
The Go1 costs $2,700 on Unitree Robotics’ website and $420 on AliExpress, China’s largest online marketplace.