Military robots are nothing new — whether in reality or pop culture nightmare scenarios. But the Bagdhad Post reports that a new bot could be the first to fire its weapon on Iraqi soil. It’s called alrobot — Arabic for “robot” — and it’s a deadly machine.
According to Defence One, Alrobot is equipped with an automatic turret, a rocket launcher, four separate cameras, and a radio range of an entire kilometer. Although it’s not the first robot ever deployed in Iraq, it will likely be the first to actually be used as Iraqi forces continue to battle ISIS.
Meanwhile, other nations are increasingly relying on robotic ground troops. Russia’s robotic military investments have been described as a “priority” according to local newspapers and a US general even said in 2014 said that a quarter of the military’s fighting force could be robotic by the year 2030.
So alrobot is in no way an anomaly. It’s actually the future of human, and inhuman, conflict.