Recently Hangzhou, Zhejiang based Unitree announced a humanoid robot that costs just 39,999 yuan, or 5,900 USD.

It is capable of doing complex movements like hand stands, cartwheels, punching, lying down prone, and standing up again on its own. It weighs 25 Kilos, and is about as tall as a smaller sized human.

I think this is an area we should be paying very special attention to. AI is getting all the hype, but it’s unlikely to have a big effect on the outcome of a war. Being able to mass produce soldiers though? That’s a game changer.

These robots would work in any terrain a human can once water proofed, and could be remotely piloted by human soldiers. Retrofitting them with weapons systems would be simple, and they could have armor plating added on so they could just stand under heavy fire and be fine. You’d need higher caliber rounds to take them out. (Exactly the things that the US is floundering to secure metals to make since China controls so much of the rare earth industry).

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that these could be the equivalent of the invention of the musket. If WW3 happens sometime in the next decade i expect the world to be shocked as it becomes clear war will never be the same again. It’s like a countdown has begun where everyday we get closer to the moment one of these is first used in a peer conflict, and an arms race begins. One China already seems to be winning before it even starts.

    • IHave69XiBucks@lemmygrad.mlOP
      5·
      5 days ago

      Imagine your trying to like hold a position right. With these since they’re ground based you can just sit them there in low-power mode, and wait. With an air based drone they have to land somewhere which can be hard to do for bigger drones. Then they have to take off again when an enemy shows up, reach altitude, etc. With these they just detect the enemy, and power up fully again in seconds.

      • Horse {they/them}@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        3·
        4 days ago

        With an air based drone they have to land somewhere which can be hard to do for bigger drones

        you can fit the functional parts of a rifle on a small quad copter, one that could land in a space a little larger than a dinner plate

        Then they have to take off again when an enemy shows up, reach altitude, etc.

        consumer quad copters can reach human head height in 1-2 seconds

        a demonstration of how quick these things are: https://youtube.com/shorts/7lXEeqT9LnQ

        With these they just detect the enemy, and power up fully again in seconds.

        they will also be a human sized metal target that is standing dead still, easier to see than a landed drone from sheer size

        • IHave69XiBucks@lemmygrad.mlOP
          4·
          4 days ago

          Yes they are different. That’s kind of the point. A quadcopter with a rifle on it can’t hold a city. It can’t even use a very high caliber weapon. The higher caliber weapons have a lot of knockback, and require a strong structure to absorb that. Which means you need a bigger body.

          Nobody is saying quad copters don’t have a use. But they can’t do everything. You need infantry. Heavy infantry especially. A ground based robot could have a high caliber rifle, a shoulder mounted anti-air system for taking down quadcopters, carry 100’s of pounds of ammo, and it uses a lot less energy when moving around per lbs of cargo.

          A quadcopter is extremely weight limited, and energy limited. A ground based robot can have a massive battery, tons of ammo, heavier weaponry, etc. Longer time on mission, and can do indoor CQC. It can even engage in nonlethal missions where you need to find and capture a target alive. A quadcopter is best suited to supporting ground operations not replacing them.