Great: Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots arrive in Ukraine for battlefield testing

It was only a matter of time, but it’s finally happened: robots have been deployed to an active warzone. US firm Foundation confirmed the delivery of two Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots to Ukraine for testing in real combat scenarios.

The two units were initially deployed in supporting roles just behind the front lines. The goal is to assess how a bipedal robot performs in the realities of the Ukrainian battlefield. That means dealing with thick mud, dense rubble, and infrastructure that’s been heavily damaged or destroyed.

So they’re not some gun-toting Terminators patrolling the Donbas, at least not yet, anyway. Foundation‘s CEO was pretty candid when discussing combat applications for the MK-1, essentially calling the escalation to lethal force inevitable.

In theory, these robots are designed to be what’s called “weapons agnostic,” meaning they’re able to pick up, identify, and properly utilize any weapon that’d be used by standard infantry. Which is, quite frankly, nuts.

I’m in a difficult spot with this story because on one hand, my simple brain thinks robots with guns are fuckin’ sweet. On the other hand, however, I find that very same concept absolutely terrifying, so much so that it could result in the downfall of civilization as we know it.

While I am the technology reporter here at TLL, I’ve usually just covered stories like an AI Dating Cafe, someone marrying a chatbot, and ChatGPT’s Adult Mode. Basically, if someone’s tried to fuck their computer, I’ve written about it. So, forgive me if robotic warfighters have thrown me for a loop.

Of course, the idea of taking human soldiers out of harm’s way and sending in the Clanker Brigade to handle dangerous missions sounds like a great idea. But, at the same time, they are machines, and machines malfunction. I have serious ethical concerns when it comes to robots on the battlefield.

What the hell happens if an MK-1 commits heinous war crimes due to a technical error? Who’s responsible? Foundation?

I understand that’s an extreme example, but that was one of the first things that popped into my head when my buddy Bob sent me this story. I genuinely didn’t believe him at first when he said there’s robotic warfare inbound on the Ukrainian front. Lo and behold, he was right.

Now, we’ve got the precursor to murderbots roaming the Donbas. Anything is possible. That being said, I watched a video of one of these clankers along with the CEO discussing potential applications, and the thing can’t even walk right.

These robots don’t exactly look battlefield-ready in this video:

Based on that video, these things aren’t all that agile. So it looks like my fear of a Robot Death Squad killing civilians and torching villages is pretty far on the horizon. These guys need to figure out how to run before they can enact genocide or torture a prisoner. They aren’t even waterproof yet, which feels like a prerequisite for success, but I digress.

It seems like they’ll be getting some solid data from the testing in Ukraine. That war is still going strong after four years without any signs of stopping.

Ukraine has pretty much become a testing lab for defense startups. They’ll take all the help they can get, and these companies are getting data they could never dream of in a simulated testing environment. So, I suppose it’s a win-win?

I don’t know. I think we’re all fucked as soon as these robots figure out how to tie their shoes. Do they even wear shoes? It doesn’t matter; they’ll have my head on a pike within the year anyway.

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