US Space Force Enlists Robot Dogs As Latest Recruits In Training
US Space Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Becker. Image via Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (public domain)
The US Space Force is exploring opening its own K-9 unit. True to the sci-fi associations the division is likely to attract, though, these so-called “dogs” are robots.
With their militarian looks, the robodogs make Boston Dynamics’ Spot look cute and cuddly. Their imposing appearance might be enough to scare alien baddies away, but applying fear tactics isn’t part of their scope. Instead, they’re here to be spaceman’s best friend. The Space Force proved this so by demonstrating the quadrupeds’ abilities at the Cape Canaveral Space Force station, where two robot dogs patrolled the area, late last month.
The Space Force explains that, when fully deployed, the bots “will be used for damage assessments and patrol to save significant man hours,” enabling their human comrades to focus on less menial space tasks.
The robot dogs, which come under the care of Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics, are officially called ‘Vision 60’ and belong in the species of Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicles (Q-UGV). Taking cues from the ways mammals survive in both urban environments and the wild, they’re able to walk, run, crawl, climb, and will “eventually swim” in all kinds of settings.
Vision 60 is designed with Ghost Robotics’ “proprietary blind-mode operations” for “rapid adaptation to new environments,” explains the manufacturer on its website.
“They’re unstoppable, with the ability to get right back up from any slip, fall, or failure and keep moving using our proprietary blind-mode operations,” touts Ghost Robotics.
“Ultimately, our robot is made to keep our warfighters, workers and K9s out of harm’s way,” it adds.
[via The Register and Gizmodo, images via Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (public domain)]
