--- title: "Russia Straps Rocket Launcher to Robot Dog at Putin Event" description: "Russian developers showed off a frightening new creation at the country's arms fair this week: a robot dog with a RPG strapped to its back." date: "2022-08-16" modified: "2022-08-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-rpg-robodog" categories: - "Robot Dogs" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "robot dog" - "Russia" - "the digest" --- # Russia Straps Rocket Launcher to Robot Dog at Putin Event ![Default Futurism featured image]() ## RPG Robodog Russian developers showed off a frightening new creation at the country's arms fair this week: a robot dog with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher strapped to its back. State-owned news agency *RIA Novosti* shared a [video]() of the abomination on Telegram earlier this week. The little robot can be seen tiptoeing around the expo and effortlessly squatting down to the ground — a bizarrely adorable yet absolutely terrifying vision of the future of warfare. https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1559179458329956354 ## Go Fetch The robot is a "sample of the M-81 robotic system, capable of conducting aimed shooting and transporting weapons," which can also be "used in the emergency zone for reconnaissance, passage through rubble and delivery of medicines," the robot's developers told *RIA Novosti* in a [Telegram post](). "When used in combat, the robotic dog can also be engaged in target designation, patrolling and security," the developers wrote. It's not the first time we've seen a robot dog with a weapon strapped to its back. We've seen several terrifying creations over the last couple of years, from a [paintball gun-toting Boston Dynamics robodog]() to one [wielding a submachine gun]() and [another with a sniper rifle](). ## Russia Superior Russian president Vladimir Putin himself opened the ceremony on Monday to deliver an address. He described the event as a showcase of the country's most cutting-edge military technologies. "We are talking about high-precision weapons and robotics, combat systems based on new physical principles," Putin said, as [quoted by *Insider*](). "Many of them are years, perhaps even decades ahead of their foreign counterparts, and significantly superior in terms of tactical and technical characteristics." Meanwhile, Russian forces are suffering heavy losses in Ukraine, with the [Pentagon claiming]() the country has lost 80,000 troops so far. Whether an RPG-wielding robot dog would be able to turn things around remains to be seen. **READ MORE:** [Robot Dog With RPG Strapped to Its Back Demoed at Russian Arms Fair]() \[*Vice*\] **More on robot dogs:** *[Hacker Mounts Submachine Gun on Robodog, Shoots Live Ammo]()* ## 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]()