Though they called it a robot goat, the device looks suspiciously like Unitree’s quadruped robot dog. It was sporting an M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW) rocket launcher, a popular lightweight, user-friendly model first introduced in the ’60s. The theory is that it could be fired remotely, allowing the robot dog to get closer to its target while ensuring the safety of the human operator.
The robot used in the test is too light and fragile and doesn’t have enough battery life to be used in real-life military operations, so this was more just a demonstration of the technology’s future potential than anything else. “The Marine could be behind cover and concealment, the weapon system could go forward, and the Marine could manipulate the safeties from a safe place while allowing that weapon system to get closer to its target,” said 1st Lieutenant Aaron Safadi, officer in charge, emerging technology integration section, Tactical Training Exercise Control Group (TTECG).
