Ghost Robotics, a manufacturer of four-legged robots called Q-UGVs (Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicles), recently showcased its Vision 60 robot equipped with a sniper rifle, hinting at remote-controlled warfare.
Dubbed SPUR (Special Purpose Unmanned Rifle), the weapon comes from SWORD Defense Systems, a warfighter solutions company. SPUR is designed to offer precision fire from unmanned platforms like the Ghost Robotics Vision-60 quadruped. The Vision-60 with SPUR was unveiled at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference recently held in Washington, DC.
What SPUR is capable of?
At 17 lb (approx 7.7kg), SPUR comes equipped with Teledyne FLIR Boson thermal camera, boasting 30X optical zoom and perfect for stealthy missions, both day and night. It also fires 6.5 mm Creedmoor rounds or 7.62 x 51 mm NATO rounds from a 10-round magazine. The SPUR has a ceramic coating designed to make it harder for night-vision systems to see it.
“Featuring safe, chamber, clear, and fire capabilities that allows for safe and reliable deployment of the weapon system – providing the operator an ability to load and safe the weapon at a distance,” advertises the company.
Ghost Robotics CEO Jiren Parikh says, “It is fully controlled by a remote operator. There is a human controlling the weapon, there is no autonomy or AI.”
However, it is unclear if it is being officially sold to any militaries around the world. So far, the quadruped has been tested by the US and Australian armies.
Last year, Security Forces units at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, became the first to operate unarmed robot dogs to patrol alongside its airmen.
