Beat bot

The use of robots in warfare may become a reality in the near future.

A viral video shot in China gives a glimpse of how robots can perform in combat. In the video, a robotic dog with a fireworks launcher strapped to its back faces off against a drone equipped with the same.

The two robots then shot at each other in rapid fire fashion, USA Today reported.

The spectacular pyrotechnics battle took place in Wuhu, a city in southeastern Anhui Province, prior to the Spring Festival. There was no report though on which robot won the fiery showdown.

Meanwhile, San Francisco-based company Foundation Robotics Labs (FRL) has introduced a humanoid robot designed for war.

FRL counts the United States Department of Defense among its clients with its Phantom robot already being used by the US military in non-combat roles, like maintenance tasks and for refueling aircraft in remote areas, the New York Post (NYP) reported.

The company’s co-founder, Mike LeBlanc, told SFGATE that “humanoids are going to be critical to the future of warfare.”

The weapon-less demo of the Phantom, however, was done at the Temple Nightclub. The humanoid served as a disc jockey for a 30-minute set on 31 January.

In the viral video, the Phantom is shown gliding its fingers over the DJ board in cool, measured gestures, “adeptly transitioning from song to song,” according to FRL co-founder, Sankaet Pathak.

LeBlanc touted the DJ duties of Phantom. “This is the perfect unveiling because this is what our robot is,” he said, according to NYT.