Can go up the mountain and go into the water, and now the robot dog can be amphibious

Similar to working dogs that assist humans to work in various scenarios, in today's new era of technological development, there are more and more application scenarios for robot dogs. Even in difficult and dangerous environments, they can still "go forward" under control.

From the current application scenario, robot dogs and working dogs have their own uses, but many people will compare the two.

For example, there will be such doubts, some working dogs can perform water rescue tasks, but robot dogs should be electronic products. Can robot dogs swim?

Most of the current robot dogs do perform tasks on land, but some can swim. Technology company Ghost Robotics has developed an amphibious robot dog named VISION 60 Q-UGV, which is a modification of the Vision 60 robot dog. Compared with other models and versions, its biggest feature is that it can travel in water.

The VISION 60 Q-UGV amphibious robot dog can swim, mainly relying on the "tail" called "NAUT". "NAUT" is actually an underwater propulsion system made by Onyx Industries that includes a semi-autonomous control system that allows an operator to remotely control the robot or let it perform pre-programmed tasks autonomously.

"NAUT" operates using Onyx's proprietary autonomous propulsion method and can be integrated into existing networks. One charge of the device itself can propel the VISION 60 Q-UGV robot dog at a speed of 3 knots (about 5.56 kilometers per hour) for about 25 After 35 minutes, you can still work with the power stored inside the robot dog.

In fact, some robot dogs can walk in water, but basically they walk in shallow water, but VISION 60 Q-UGV can really swim. Enter the water, fold the legs, and with the help of the front sensors exposed on the water, the VISION 60 Q-UGV robot dog can swim slowly in the water. After swimming to the shore, you can walk ashore after stretching your limbs.

The US Air Force has previously purchased the Vision 60 robot dog to patrol around Tyndall Air Force Base. Now the VISION 60 Q-UGV can be amphibious. Although the speed is not fast, it means that it can patrol a wider range. Wider and more useful in day-to-day tasks.

Not only patrolling air force bases, the US Department of Homeland Security has also tested Ghost Robotics' robot dogs on the US-Mexico border to patrol, but this has also caused dissatisfaction among the public, because this "weaponization" of robot dogs will make the robot dog "weaponized". People are disturbed.

It is worth mentioning that Ghost Robotics envisioned the use of the robot when it was developed, including "a wide range of military and homeland security applications." At the 2021 annual meeting of the American Army Association (AUSA), Ghost Robotics also exhibited a Q-UGV robot dog.

On the Q-UGV, a rifle made by specialty rifle company SWORD International is armed with 6.5mm Creedmoor ammo, which is designed for long-range sporting targets to achieve the long-range performance of specialized sniper rifles and standard infantry rifles And to improve accuracy, Ghost Robotics says it can fire with precision at distances of more than 3,900 feet (about 1,200 meters).

The guns on the Q-UGV and the "NAUT" underwater propulsion system on the VISION 60 Q-UGV are all modular designs. For example, "NAUT" is a tail kit that can be "plug and play".

It can be seen that the future application scenarios of robot dogs will become more and more extensive. Although they still have battery life and noise issues that need to be resolved, this "weaponization" trend may also make people a little worried: Will the scenes in "Black Mirror" come true?

#Welcome to pay attention to the official WeChat account of Aifaner: Aifaner (WeChat: ifanr), more exciting content will be brought to you as soon as possible.

Love Faner | Original link · View comments · Sina Weibo