This year we’ve seen armoured robot dogs and swarms of kamikaze drones. But now, there’s a new militarised robot out to take over the world. And this one is prepared to hide in plain sight to steal all your secrets.
According to the Moscow Times, some of the brightest minds in Russia’s Zhukovsky-Gagarin Air Force Academy have been working on a top secret robot that could soon be given its first taste of the battlefield.
The small, remote-controlled creation has tank-like tracks, a cunning camouflage design and a host of cutting-edge surveillance tech.
But what is this high-tech military device that’s taken more than three years to develop, I hear you ask. Well, it’s a robot rock of course!
The Moscow Times says the robot was created by Russian cadets “for positional warfare in conditions of sniper coverage.” So it’s a great little device for any armies that don’t want to fight their enemies face to face.
Packed with the latest technologic, the remote-control pebble has a motion sensor that, when triggered, will start up the added built-in cameras and microphones to snoop on your enemy’s secrets. The device also has a camouflage and rugged exterior, so there’s less chance of a short circuit if the robot’s internals get wet or damaged.
The pocket-sized robot also has a 24-hour passive battery life and comes with the ability to collect, process and transmit information for up to 15 hours. So at least this cutesy little robot can go a long time without being turned on / off.
Despite the surveillance tech being triggered by motion sensors, the robot does need to be controlled by a human after all. The controller is able to steer the robot into the best snooping positions around the world, as long as they are within 2 km (1.24 miles) of the device.
This covert little robotic device is easy to poke fun at. But if it’s just the first iteration of this rock-like robot, you can be sure that the next generation of this innovative snooping device will be much harder, better, faster, stronger.