Vision 60/SPUR quadrupedal war robot prompts AI weaponisation fears

A robot dog armed with a sniper rifle capable of hitting targets from 3,940 feet away was criticised as 'terrifying', 'dystopian' and a 'nightmare'.

Manufactured by Ghost Robotics and arms manufacturer SWORD International and unveiled at a US Army trade show, the 'Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle' (SPUR) can be remotely instructed to load, unload and fire.

SPUR is 'the future of unmanned weapons system — and that future is now', according to SWORD International.

Critics have long voiced concerns over the weaponisation of robot quadrupeds.

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• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10091493/Killer-bot-Terrifying-robot-dog-fitted-6-5mm-sniper-RIFLE-unveiled-Army-trade-show.html

• https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/14/22726111/robot-dogs-with-guns-sword-international-ghost-robotics

• https://futurism.com/sniper-rifle-robot-dog

• https://gizmodo.com/robot-murder-dog-new-thing-to-worry-about-as-you-fall-a-1847867174

• https://interestingengineering.com/yes-robot-dogs-can-now-carry-sniper-rifles-on-their-backs

• https://www.ladbible.com/news/latest-robotics-company-attaches-high-tech-sniper-rifle-to-robot-dog-20211012

• https://www.iflscience.com/technology/robot-dogs-just-got-a-lethal-dystopian-upgrade/

• https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/14/lethal-robot-dogs-now-have-assault-rifles-attached-to-their-backs-15420004/