Most of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s probably have the name Skynet and the associated legion of 40-watt Phased Plasma Rifle toting robots burned into our memories as something to be feared in our near future. TFB recently came across a YouTube video from user Alexander Atamanov titled “Patrol dog robot” featuring a 9mm AK equipped robot running around and lighting up targets with both full auto and semi-auto fire.

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Skynet Precursor? 9mm AK Equipped Robot From Alexander Atamanov

Judging from the video, it doesn’t seem like there is too much to fear. Although there is pattern recognition software out there that can identify certain targets and engage them based on pre-programmed directions, it seems that in this video the robot is being controlled by a human pilot rather than being on a self-guided patrol where it can independently engage targets.

Skynet Precursor? 9mm AK Equipped Robot From Alexander Atamanov

The robot seems to be equipped with a 9mm AK variant capable of both full-auto and semi-auto fire but the gun either is mounted too high, or the robot is simply too small to counteract the recoil of the gun to remain on target during full auto bursts. Unmanned warfare was brought up as a hot topic during the initial stages of the invasion of Afghanistan and many have maligned it for producing collateral damage. This, however, seems like it would have a much more limited range and utility in its current configuration, and at this point, it’s really just a neat prototype/concept.

Skynet Precursor? 9mm AK Equipped Robot From Alexander Atamanov

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this subject. Are armed automatons going to start showing up in our near future or is the technology just too far off for these types of weapons systems to be employed reliably? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!