It’s all but inevitable that we will one day serve robot overlords. Not convinced? One look at this robot dog army will change your mind.
Unitree Robotics posted a video of their many robot dog companions earlier in March. Titled “The Force Awakens” the video is, of course, set to the theme music of the Imperial March from Star Wars.
The Force Awakens. Everyone, help count how many? ???? pic.twitter.com/6NpZOUmQ1s
— Unitree Robotics (@UnitreeRobotics) March 9, 2021
I have some concerns.
How long does humanity have?
So when should we expect our robotic canine friends to dominate?
Chinese manufacturer Unitree Robotics is responsible for this terrifying force. Similar to US company Boston Dynamics, Unitree Robotics specialises in high-performance robot manufacturing.
Their robot offerings include BenBen, Aliengo, Laikago and the A1 robot which makes up the army in this video.
In terms of functionality, the A1 robot can squat, turn and lean, and move in all directions. The dog measures 62cm in length, 30cm in width and can carry a payload of up to 5kg.
According to Unitree Robotics’ website, the robodog is equipped with gesture recognition, a multi-eye intelligent depth camera, dynamic obstacle avoidance and something called Visual SLAM, which sure sounds like a weapon of mass destruction.
The AI bot also makes for a great running companion, reaching speeds of nearly 12km/h, and it can even do backflips. And all for less than $15,000.
Naturally, the internet became a little concerned after this robot army video went viral. So Unitree Robotics felt it had to respond with… this.
The Force Awakens 2. A New Hope ???? . PS：Please watch the previous video first. pic.twitter.com/3hlwr46QEH
— Unitree Robotics (@UnitreeRobotics) March 15, 2021
Set to another Star Wars tune the video shows the BenBen model performing neat tricks and defeating the A1 robot in mock laser battles. The BenBen robot is far more striking in appearance with its vibrant paint design representing the ‘spirit of the Ox’.
I suppose this was Unitree Robotics’ attempt to show us not all robot dogs are ‘bad guys’ but now all I can see are two armies of robot dogs that could kill us.
We’ve already seen attempts to weaponise Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot. It’s only a matter of time before BenBen comes for us too.