China Shows Off Armed Attack Robots

Yahoo

3 days ago

It's no secret that China is blazing full-steam into the future, developing technological marvels like levitating bullet trains, robot boxing fights, and a supercomputer network in space.
But as geopolitical tensions simmer, the People's Republic is also using its technological savvy to build cutting-edge weapons tech.
The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV recently released a brief video series showing off its newly developed "robot wolves," equipped with combat rifles, in simulated combat drills.
Working alongside soldiers in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the "combat ready" bots are seen navigating a hillside in a coordinated pack as soldiers exchange nonlethal gunfire. As the PLA troops duck to avoid incoming rounds, the robot wolves march on.
Developed by the China North Industries Group Corporation, the wolves are said to be distinct from robot combat dogs, according to a previous release. While the agile and lightweight robot dogs specialize in reconnaissance, these robot wolves are specifically meant for combat.
Both the robot dogs and their predator counterparts are remote-controlled by an operator, with the lighter version apparently housing a LiDAR system to map its environment.
"They can navigate various terrains and carry out precision strikes from up to 100 meters away," the media report declared.
State media first teased development of the robo-wolves at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in November of 2024. Then, state media coverage showed a pack of the eerie quadrupeds navigating a desert environment while carrying assault rifles, which they used to pump a mannequin full of bullets.
Now, it seems development has finished, as PLA troops train to use the metal critters in combat situations.
The whole thing underscores the speed at which Chinese robotics are progressing. The People's Republic has deployed hundreds of thousands of industrial robots in the past few years, both setting the record for manufacturing robotics deployment in 2021-2022, and breaking it in 2022-2023.
China's not alone in the robotics race, however. France is likewise investing heavily in robotic combat tech, hoping to field a robot army by 2040. That said, the European country's overall robotics capacity is a drop in the bucket compared to China's.
Not to be outdone, the United States is similarly heavily invested in military bots. Earlier this year, a Pentagon official declared that "we're going to invest in autonomous killer robots."
And last year, the US Army made headlines when it was found to be testing rifle-equipped robot dogs at a testing site made to look like a nondescript Middle Eastern locale, a continuation of its "BigDog Project," which began in partnership with Boston Dynamics in 2004.
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