- The US Marine Corps is experimenting with a robot dog equipped with a rifle, Warzone reported.
- This robot dog was created by Ghost Robotics. Onyx Industries supplied the rifle system.
- Marine Corps Special Operations Command said it “does not operate this capability at this time.”
The War Zone reports that the US Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is experimenting with a “robot dog” equipped with a rifle.
The system is based on the Vision 60 quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle (Q-UGV), a medium-sized “all-weather ground drone” developed by Philadelphia-based company Ghost Robotics.
The Department of Defense has been testing the Q-UGV for several years, leveraging its AI and data analysis capabilities to detect potential threats to military assets.
However, MARSOC appears to be currently evaluating adding attack capabilities to the machine.
The special forces command unit has two robotic dogs equipped with Onyx Industries' SENTRY remote weapons system, one armed with a 7.62x39mm caliber rifle and the other with a 6.5mm caliber Creedmoor rifle. Eric Schell, business development manager at Onyx Industries, said. war zone.
He said MARSOC used the system for “tunneling” and “perimeter security,” but did not say where.
A video posted to Onyx's LinkedIn account shows one of the machines, equipped with a rifle, in action.
MARSOC said in a statement to The War Zone following the initial report that the Q-UGV was being tested “as one of many technologies in a ground robot evaluation.”
“MARSOC does not currently operate this capability. Weapons are just one of many potential payloads for this technology, others could include ISR or EW payloads. ” he continued. “MARSOC is aware of and follows all Department of Defense policies regarding autonomous weapons, and Onyx Industries' comments may be more indicative of current or future products.”
Business Insider has reached out to Onyx Industries and MARSOC for comment.
According to Ghost Robotics, the 112-pound Vision 60 drone has a top speed of 10 feet per second and can cover up to 10 km (about 6.2 miles). It has a maximum payload of about 22 pounds and can operate at full power for three hours, the company adds on its website.
The drone is powered by Nvidia Xavier chips and can be assembled or disassembled in just 15 minutes per job site.
In a 2022 Vision 60 test by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, participants found the drone easy to control and the software “intuitive.”
They added that they were impressed by his ability to “recover after a fall and return to a neutral standing position.”
However, participants noted that the drones struggled to stay upright on slippery surfaces, highlighting problems in choosing the appropriate operating mode for different terrains.
