--- title: "China Shows Off Robot Dogs Armed With Machine Guns" description: "The Chinese military recently showed off numerous robot dogs outfitted with machine guns on their backs, as Agence France-Presse reports." date: "2024-05-18" modified: "2024-05-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-robot-dogs-machine-guns" categories: - "Robot Dogs" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "boston dynamics" - "robot dog" - "the digest" --- # China Shows Off Robot Dogs Armed With Machine Guns ![The Chinese military recently showed off numerous robot dogs outfitted with machine guns on their backs, as Agence France-Presse reports.]() *\Image: Yonhap News\* ## Dog Gun It The Chinese military recently showed off numerous robot dogs outfitted with machine guns on their backs during the country's biggest-ever drill alongside Cambodian troops, as [*Agence France-Presse* reports](). The terrifying gun-toting robodogs were part of a massive 15-day military exercise called "Golden Dragon" in a remote training center in central Cambodia and off the country's coast. During the drill, journalists watched as staff took the robodogs for a walk — but reportedly never fired the machine guns strapped to their backs. It's a dystopian vision of what the future of warfare could look like. Experts have long warned that the use of armed drones or "killer robots," particularly autonomous ones, is an [ethical minefield]() that should be [internationally banned]() from the battlefield. But that hasn't stopped [military forces]() and [even local enforcement]() in the US from investing in the tech while arguing that their use could [save human lives](). ## Follow the Leader It's not the first time we've come across quadrupedal gun-toting robots. Last year, the [Pentagon announced]() that the US Army is considering arming remote-controlled robot dogs with state-of-the-art rifles as part of its plan to "explore the realm of the possible" in the future of combat. A US-based military contractor called Ghost Robotics [has already showed off such a robot dog](), outfitted with a long-distance rifle. However, as far as Boston Dynamics' popular [Spot Mini robot dog]() is concerned, the company has been adamant that strapping weapons to the robodog is against its terms of service. "We pledge that we will not weaponize our advanced-mobility general-purpose robots or the software we develop that enables advanced robotics and we will not support others to do so," the company wrote in an [open letter](). **More on robot dogs:** *[Robot Dog Shot Three Times During Raid]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()