But if that recon is the prelude to a military engagement it seems like a flimsy distinction.Д«oston DynamicsвЂ™ Perry told The Verge that the company had clear policies forbidding suppliers or customers from weaponizing the robot, but that the firm is вЂњstill evaluatingвЂќ whether or not to ban non-weaponized deployments by military customers. SpotвЂ™s terms and conditions forbid it from being used вЂњto harm or intimidate any person or animal, as a weapon, or to enable any weapon,вЂќ and itвЂ™s possible to argue that a robot helping to scout buildings for soldiers is not technically harming or intimidating anyone. вЂњWe unequivocally do not want any customer using the robot to harm people,вЂќ says Perry. Spot is still being tested by a number of US police forces, including by the NYPD, but Boston Dynamics has always stressed that its machines will never be armed. Boston Dynamics has a long history of developing robots for the US army, but as itвЂ™s moved into commercial markets itвЂ™s distanced itself from military connections. SpotвЂ™s appearance on simulated battlefields raises questions about where the robot will be deployed in future. In addition to Spot, other machines being tested by the French military included OPTIO-X20, a remote-controlled vehicle with tank treads and auto cannon built by Estonian firm Milrem Robotics ULTRO, a wheeled вЂњrobot muleвЂќ made for carrying equipment built by French state military firm Nexter and Barakuda, a multipurpose wheeled drone that can provide mobile cover to soldiers with attached armored plating.Д«oston Dynamics quadruped UGV Spot and Shark Robotics electric Barakuda UGV participate in exercises at the French military research school Centre de recherche des Г©coles de (CREC) #ugv #unmanned #unmannedvehicles #robotics #military #research #training #france /1WCASPmdA4- Melanie Rovery April 7, 2021

To date, itвЂ™s been used to remotely survey a number of environments, from construction sites to factories and underground mines. The 70lb Spot (31kg) is equipped with cameras and can be remote controlled, with its four legs allowing it to navigate terrain that would challenge wheeled or treaded robots.

ItвЂ™s not clear what role Spot was playing (neither Shark Robotics nor the Г‰cole de Saint-Cyr had replied to requests for comment at the time of writing), but Ouest-France suggests it was being used for reconnaissance. They added that one problem was SpotвЂ™s battery life: it apparently ran out of juice during an exercise and had to be carried out. But I didnвЂ™t die when we had the robot do a recce first,вЂќ one soldier is quoted as saying. вЂњDuring the urban combat phase where we werenвЂ™t using robots, I died. Sources quoted in the article say that the robots slowed down operations but helped keep troops safe.

вЂњDuring the urban combat phase where we werenвЂ™t using robots, I died.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™re not clear on the exact scope of this engagement.вЂќ The company says it was aware that its robots were being used with the French government, including the military. вЂњWeвЂ™re learning about it as you are,вЂќ says Perry. It described the tests as вЂњraising studentsвЂ™ awareness of the challenges of tomorrow,вЂќ which include the вЂњrobotization of the battlefield.вЂќДЄ report by French newspaper Ouest-France offers more detail, saying that Spot was one of a number of robots being tested by students from FranceвЂ™s Г‰cole Militaire Interarmes (Combined Arms School), with the intention of assessing the usefulness of robots on future battlefields.Д«oston DynamicsвЂ™ vice president of business development Michael Perry told The Verge that the robot had been supplied by a European distributor, Shark Robotics, and that the US firm had not been notified about this particular use. Pictures of the exercises were shared on Twitter by FranceвЂ™s foremost military school, the Г‰cole SpГ©ciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr. The robot was apparently being used for reconnaissance during a two-day training exercise, but the deployment raises questions about how and where Boston DynamicsвЂ™ machines will be used in future. Spot, the quadruped robot built by US firm Boston Dynamics, has appeared alongside soldiers during military exercises carried out by the French army.

Ghost recon future soldiers