The Ghost Vision 60 now has an arm that can lift up to 3.75 kilograms, and the entire robot can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep. Ghost Robotics

Robobacks used to be cute technological curiosities. Today, they grow limbs to open doors, carry loads, and... well, you get the idea. Ghost Robotics, a Philadelphia-based veteran in the world of four-legged machines, has officially unveiled a manipulator for its flagship Vision 60. Now this "dog" weighing 50 kg not only runs through the desert and swims in puddles, but also manipulates objects with his new "paws". The perfect pet for someone who has always dreamed that his dog would not only bring slippers, but also, say, defuse an improvised explosive device.

The fifth leg that waves and opens

Ghost Robotics engineers, who came out of the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP laboratory, look at things practically. They did not invent a super-complicated manipulator, but approached the issue with true canine directness. The new "arm" for the Vision 60 is, in fact, a "fifth leg" built into the robot's control system for coordinated movement of the entire body.

The technical specifications sound like a description of a superhero from the world of iron and wires:

Reach: 1 meter — to reach the door handle or an interesting object within a step radius.

Load capacity: 3.75 kg at a distance of 50 cm — ideal for carrying equipment or, for example, grenades.

Protection: IP67 standard, which means full protection from dust and the ability to immerse up to a meter under water. Because who among us has not dreamed of swimming with a dog that also holds something in its paws?

Temperature range: -40°C to +55°C. I am ready to work both in the Arctic tundra and in the hot desert.

The most ironic thing is that the clients have found an unexpected use for the manipulator. It turned out that the "hand" is a great movable tripod for cameras. "Our robots see the world from the height of a dog,— explains Ghost CEO Gavin Kennelly. "And the hand allows you to look around the corner or look at the level of human height without exposing the entire body to the impact." Now the robot can not only complete the task, but also take a spectacular selfie about it for a report.

An ethical four-legged mine

Ghost Robotics has never been shy about its main customer, the military. Their robots are used by the US Army and Marines for reconnaissance and work in dangerous areas. However, in 2021, the company was caught in the middle of a scandal when a photo of a Vision 60 with a rifle strapped to its back leaked online. The public shuddered at the sight of the "killer robot." Although, as IEEE Spectrum rightly points out, the idea of a mobile robot with weapons is not new — such systems were used back in Iraq in 2007.

In 2022, several companies, including Boston Dynamics, signed a pledge not to arm their robots. Ghost Robotics is not one of them. Kennelly's position is pragmatic and outspoken: "We sell robots to the governments of the United States and allies for defense... Decisions on how to use them should be made at the level of public policy." Simply put, the company makes a tool. And whether this tool will open doors for rescuers or carry weapons is not decided by an engineer, but by a politician. However, this position does not prevent Boston Dynamics from suing Ghost for patent infringement, and activists from breaking windows in the company's offices in protest against cooperation with the military.

A Chinese elephant (or rather, a dog) in the room

While Western companies are arguing about ethics, the Chinese giant Unitree is quietly taking over the global market. According to some estimates, it already accounts for about 70% of all four-legged robots sold in the world. The secret is simple: their Go1 robot costs from $2,300, while the Spot from Boston Dynamics will cost you $74,500. The price difference of more than 30 times makes Unitree almost unattainable for many customers.

Kennelly acknowledges the threat: "China has identified walking robotics as a key technology and is strategically financing it. This is an extremely serious long-term threat." The specter of a repeat of the DJI drone story, which captured 90% of the market, is in the air. In order to survive, American companies need the constant support of the government, because they are competing not with private business, but with the whole state machine.

The future: Dog work for smart cars

So where does this path, trodden by metal paws, lead? Robots like the Vision 60 are no longer laboratory curiosities. They are becoming highly specialized work platforms for dangerous missions. It is quite possible that in the near future, finding a "job" for such a robot — a suitable contract for pipeline inspection or participation in exercises — will become a task for special platforms. After all, even the most advanced robot needs to find its owner-customer somewhere.

The main question remains: will this "hand" become a symbol of progress that saves human lives by doing work for people in hot spots and disaster zones? Or will it forever remain in memory as the first step towards creating autonomous combat vehicles that decide who lives and who dies? Ghost Robotics has given its creation a limb. But what fate humanity will prepare for him will be decided not by us, but by the next generations, who will deal with the consequences of our current "technological breakthroughs."