The Russian army’s annual military exhibition was marked this year by the demonstration of a rocket-launching robot. This is an artificial intelligence-powered robot dog with a wide range of defensive capabilities.
A rocket-launching robot named M-81
Under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Defense, Russia organizes an annual military exhibition, the Russian Army Expo. At this event, the armed forces display military equipment, offer demonstrations of hi-tech equipment and more.
This 2022 edition, held from August 15 to 22, was marked by the demonstration of the M-81 robot dog. This is a robotic dog, powered by AIarmed with an anti-tank rocket launcher mounted on its back.
The robot is said to have been developed by the Russian engineering company Intellect Machine.. The developers of the M-81 claimed that the system could not only carry weapons and ammunition, but could also shoot at targets.
According to Russian media outlet RIA Novosti, which covered the event, the dog is “capable of shooting at a target and carrying weapons, carrying out reconnaissance, walking through debris, crouching on the ground in camouflage mode…”. It has also been programmed to deliver medicines.
Is the Russian robot really Russian?
At the time of the demonstration, the M-81 robot dog was covered in a kind of spandex suit in its entirety. On the face of it, this was camouflage. Nonetheless, some observers point to the to hide the robot, which in reality is Chinese..
Image analysis of the Russian robot shows many similarities with a Chinese robot sold on Ali Express. The profile of the Russian robot is eerily similar to that offered on the Chinese e-commerce site. This is the Go1 model developed by Unitree..
Observers state, “Based on the location and shape of the robot dog’s eyes, its silver color, shape and overall proportions, it seems clear that the robot shown is in fact for sale on Chinese market websites.”