“The Phantom MK-1 looks the part of an AI soldier. Encased in jet black steel with a tinted glass visor, it conjures a visceral dread far beyond what may be evoked by your typical humanoid robot. And on this late February morning, it brandishes assorted high-powered weaponry: a revolver, pistol, shotgun, and replica of an M-16 rifle.”
SsooooOriginal on
They dropped all pretense of trying to avoid making autonomous weapons platforms.
The shapes they come in are hardly as important as the simple facts that we have allowed a new level of inhumanity in war.
joshualuke on
If this becomes the new way of waging war, won’t war just become who can mass produce the most killer robots? Sending capitalism into overdrive in the process
boris_squanch on
You know what would be an interesting idea is if they could manufacture and repair new units autonomously and fuel themselves with organic matter converted in the field (this is the plot of horizon zero dawn)
NamelessTacoShop on
Are there any videos of this thing in action, because every other humanoid robot is just abysmal so far. I am very dubious of their claims, and this whole thing reads like a puff piece to raise VC money.
like they shipped two to ukraine, but were they actually used or did they do that just so they can sound better.
This is really bad news. But the war crime is the founders’ headshots.
thethirdmancane on
I dug into it, and the honest answer is: there is no solid public evidence yet of what the two Phantom MK-1s are actually doing in Ukraine, or how well they’re performing.
The most concrete reporting I could find still traces back to Foundation’s own statements to TIME that two units were sent in February for “frontline-reconnaissance support.”
MeliorTraianus on
I love how the moral imperative isn’t to contain war by keeping it *to living creatures*. Its to dehumanize it so we can fight more continuously under worse conditions. I wonder what that will do to the rest of the planet as we feed the machine (literally)?
MigraineConnoisseur on
Well, on the plus side I doubt robots routinely engage in drunken rapefeasts in freshly captured villages or torture POWs for shit and giggles – unlike certain “3-days special operation” participants.
Honestly – future where machines are fighting in war and human role is mostly reduced to maintaining economy seems almost preferable to how war is conducted when *humans* are fighting in it.
series-hybrid on
“It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever, until you are dead!” — Kyle Reese, Eastern Ukraine (2026)
OriVerda on
You know those movies where the dystopian society has faceless enforcers in rather snazzy outfits the attractive “average-looking” scrappy protagonists mercilessly kill? End of day, those enforcers are human. They have every opportunity to turn their weapons on the regime.
The day we trade in our faceless human thugs for robots is the day we have actually reached a point of no return. If the 1% of the 1% can push a button and build thousands of perfectly obedient, amoral killer robots is the day they will push the button to clean up the “undesirables”. Ultimately, even the scummiest human believes in something. You can talk to them, you have a chance at reason and negotiation.
Machines have no such weakness.
GoneinaSecondeded on
I feel like I’ve seen this movie. Seems so familiar but I just can’t place it. I am sure I will think of it eventually
jcrestor on
This is the second time this comes up today in this sub.
Two thoughts on this matter:
1. There is no way these machines are intelligent enough at the moment to fight autonomously. So at best we have a company that is doing some early and limited field testing. I know that Ukraine has already deployed semi-automatic killing machines, that hold the line in very dire circumstances.
2. The hypocrisy is real. Ukraine is fighting for its survival. The west is barely doing enough to keep Ukraine in the fight. They are looking for any tech that could help them. If the west was somewhat serious in preventing a development towards autonomous killing machines, we would not be writing articles but sending more conventional weapons and money, and refrain from starting pointless new wars that push poorer countries towards thinking about such machines.
desertSkateRatt on
The simplest answer to why it will take a LOOOOOOONG time for killbots on 2 legs to take a prominent role on the battle field is simple economics. By recruiting from the poor, its much cheaper even when you factor in pensions and medical care to send flesh bags into the meat grinder than lord knows how much one of these things cost.
I have a hard time fathoming the ROI for factories churning out massive amounts of roboots for large deployment capabilities would overtake the systems we have in place to ~~con~~ train uneducated poor to fight in wars.
Truelz on
>Robots do not suffer from fatigue or fear and can operate continuously in extreme conditions while immune from radiation, chemicals, or biological agents
Sure… If they are powered by a tiny nuclear battery maybe, but seeing as that doesn’t really exist yet this thing can probably only keep going for 1 hour on a good day
lowrads on
Seems kinda worthless, unless you are sending them into buildings to minimize property damage. That’s not typically a focus of war fighters.
artwarrior on
I find it wild that companies tied to military contracts have names derived from sci fi and fantasy literature.” Isildur” “Palantir” and “Foundation” to name a few.
I feel like Guy from Galaxy Quest.
“Did you guys ever watch the show?!”
vastaranta on
I refuse to believe that’s even close to reality. Robots still struggle with basic everyday things like opening doors, climbing stairs etc.. They can do those to a degree but it’s slow and awkward and error-prone. No way a robot can survive in an actual dynamic battlefield environment.
Don’t trust the silly Boston Dynamics -stuff, those are carefully preprogrammed ads.
judge_mercer on
>In February, two Phantoms were sent to Ukraine—initially for frontline-reconnaissance support.
It sounds like two human-shaped cameras have been placed on the battlefield. This is just a PR move. Eventually, autonomous battlefield robots will be a thing, but aerial drones will get there first.
>During TIME’s visit to Foundation, more than once a Phantom crumpled with an almighty crash, prompting not even a flinch from the firm’s founders.
They can’t even move around indoors without falling over. How are they going to negotiate a battlefield?
Battlefield robots are still too limited to be useful in combat.
Imagine having to manage 30,000 charging stations, keeping them close enough to the front lines so that the robots could easily reach them once a day (more often in cold weather) to charge for 10-12 hours.
This estimate is based on the reported battery life for Tesla’s Optimus robot (20 hours).
Boston Dynamics robots, which appear to have the strength and agility to fight, have been so far rejected for military applications because they only have *90 minutes* of battery life.
Current AI for robots is also lacking. Tesla’s Optimus can’t fold laundry or do dishes without being remote controlled by a human. How long will it be before they can reliably field-strip and clean a rifle or fire a mortar?
pea-ster on
Has no one in the world ever seen a movie? Any movie? In my experience, this is always a bad idea.
Kreepr on
So just airdrop killer robots wherever you want. Sounds like a great idea.
warrant2k on
Bipedal doesnt seem like a good design due to all the additional power and processing needed for balance. A quadruped design not only would be more stable but also hold weapons better.
And let’s be real, we are a long way away from completely capable robots that can adapt to any situation.
Black tint and visor? Cmon man.
FlatulistMaster on
This sounds like total bs and I don’t believe there’s any relevance to this right now. Silly propaganda.
Go watch that Russian robot demo for Putin
ace5762 on
It’s for show.
A humanoid robot is far less capable of warfare action compared to a quadruped or drone.
cre8ivjay on
The only thing left is to settle the bill for a slaughter we didn’t even attend.
GypsyDarkEyes on
Time for everyone to see “The Terminator” movie again. Do it now.
cheyyne on
I for one look forward to the new surfeit of videos incoming to r/shittyrobots
Fried_octopus on
I’m pretty sure this is the plot to metal gear solid 4.
CaseFace5 on
Sure, fuck it. At least less humans will die while we throw endless amounts of plastic, metal and battery’s at each other.
30 Comments
“The Phantom MK-1 looks the part of an AI soldier. Encased in jet black steel with a tinted glass visor, it conjures a visceral dread far beyond what may be evoked by your typical humanoid robot. And on this late February morning, it brandishes assorted high-powered weaponry: a revolver, pistol, shotgun, and replica of an M-16 rifle.”
They dropped all pretense of trying to avoid making autonomous weapons platforms.
The shapes they come in are hardly as important as the simple facts that we have allowed a new level of inhumanity in war.
If this becomes the new way of waging war, won’t war just become who can mass produce the most killer robots? Sending capitalism into overdrive in the process
You know what would be an interesting idea is if they could manufacture and repair new units autonomously and fuel themselves with organic matter converted in the field (this is the plot of horizon zero dawn)
Are there any videos of this thing in action, because every other humanoid robot is just abysmal so far. I am very dubious of their claims, and this whole thing reads like a puff piece to raise VC money.
like they shipped two to ukraine, but were they actually used or did they do that just so they can sound better.
This is my post. Same article. Please check: https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/s/O3hRzUboz9
This is really bad news. But the war crime is the founders’ headshots.
I dug into it, and the honest answer is: there is no solid public evidence yet of what the two Phantom MK-1s are actually doing in Ukraine, or how well they’re performing.
The most concrete reporting I could find still traces back to Foundation’s own statements to TIME that two units were sent in February for “frontline-reconnaissance support.”
I love how the moral imperative isn’t to contain war by keeping it *to living creatures*. Its to dehumanize it so we can fight more continuously under worse conditions. I wonder what that will do to the rest of the planet as we feed the machine (literally)?
Well, on the plus side I doubt robots routinely engage in drunken rapefeasts in freshly captured villages or torture POWs for shit and giggles – unlike certain “3-days special operation” participants.
Honestly – future where machines are fighting in war and human role is mostly reduced to maintaining economy seems almost preferable to how war is conducted when *humans* are fighting in it.
“It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever, until you are dead!” — Kyle Reese, Eastern Ukraine (2026)
You know those movies where the dystopian society has faceless enforcers in rather snazzy outfits the attractive “average-looking” scrappy protagonists mercilessly kill? End of day, those enforcers are human. They have every opportunity to turn their weapons on the regime.
The day we trade in our faceless human thugs for robots is the day we have actually reached a point of no return. If the 1% of the 1% can push a button and build thousands of perfectly obedient, amoral killer robots is the day they will push the button to clean up the “undesirables”. Ultimately, even the scummiest human believes in something. You can talk to them, you have a chance at reason and negotiation.
Machines have no such weakness.
I feel like I’ve seen this movie. Seems so familiar but I just can’t place it. I am sure I will think of it eventually
This is the second time this comes up today in this sub.
Two thoughts on this matter:
1. There is no way these machines are intelligent enough at the moment to fight autonomously. So at best we have a company that is doing some early and limited field testing. I know that Ukraine has already deployed semi-automatic killing machines, that hold the line in very dire circumstances.
2. The hypocrisy is real. Ukraine is fighting for its survival. The west is barely doing enough to keep Ukraine in the fight. They are looking for any tech that could help them. If the west was somewhat serious in preventing a development towards autonomous killing machines, we would not be writing articles but sending more conventional weapons and money, and refrain from starting pointless new wars that push poorer countries towards thinking about such machines.
The simplest answer to why it will take a LOOOOOOONG time for killbots on 2 legs to take a prominent role on the battle field is simple economics. By recruiting from the poor, its much cheaper even when you factor in pensions and medical care to send flesh bags into the meat grinder than lord knows how much one of these things cost.
I have a hard time fathoming the ROI for factories churning out massive amounts of roboots for large deployment capabilities would overtake the systems we have in place to ~~con~~ train uneducated poor to fight in wars.
>Robots do not suffer from fatigue or fear and can operate continuously in extreme conditions while immune from radiation, chemicals, or biological agents
Sure… If they are powered by a tiny nuclear battery maybe, but seeing as that doesn’t really exist yet this thing can probably only keep going for 1 hour on a good day
Seems kinda worthless, unless you are sending them into buildings to minimize property damage. That’s not typically a focus of war fighters.
I find it wild that companies tied to military contracts have names derived from sci fi and fantasy literature.” Isildur” “Palantir” and “Foundation” to name a few.
I feel like Guy from Galaxy Quest.
“Did you guys ever watch the show?!”
I refuse to believe that’s even close to reality. Robots still struggle with basic everyday things like opening doors, climbing stairs etc.. They can do those to a degree but it’s slow and awkward and error-prone. No way a robot can survive in an actual dynamic battlefield environment.
Don’t trust the silly Boston Dynamics -stuff, those are carefully preprogrammed ads.
>In February, two Phantoms were sent to Ukraine—initially for frontline-reconnaissance support.
It sounds like two human-shaped cameras have been placed on the battlefield. This is just a PR move. Eventually, autonomous battlefield robots will be a thing, but aerial drones will get there first.
>During TIME’s visit to Foundation, more than once a Phantom crumpled with an almighty crash, prompting not even a flinch from the firm’s founders.
They can’t even move around indoors without falling over. How are they going to negotiate a battlefield?
Battlefield robots are still too limited to be useful in combat.
Imagine having to manage 30,000 charging stations, keeping them close enough to the front lines so that the robots could easily reach them once a day (more often in cold weather) to charge for 10-12 hours.
This estimate is based on the reported battery life for Tesla’s Optimus robot (20 hours).
Boston Dynamics robots, which appear to have the strength and agility to fight, have been so far rejected for military applications because they only have *90 minutes* of battery life.
Current AI for robots is also lacking. Tesla’s Optimus can’t fold laundry or do dishes without being remote controlled by a human. How long will it be before they can reliably field-strip and clean a rifle or fire a mortar?
Has no one in the world ever seen a movie? Any movie? In my experience, this is always a bad idea.
So just airdrop killer robots wherever you want. Sounds like a great idea.
Bipedal doesnt seem like a good design due to all the additional power and processing needed for balance. A quadruped design not only would be more stable but also hold weapons better.
And let’s be real, we are a long way away from completely capable robots that can adapt to any situation.
Black tint and visor? Cmon man.
This sounds like total bs and I don’t believe there’s any relevance to this right now. Silly propaganda.
Go watch that Russian robot demo for Putin
It’s for show.
A humanoid robot is far less capable of warfare action compared to a quadruped or drone.
The only thing left is to settle the bill for a slaughter we didn’t even attend.
Time for everyone to see “The Terminator” movie again. Do it now.
I for one look forward to the new surfeit of videos incoming to r/shittyrobots
I’m pretty sure this is the plot to metal gear solid 4.
Sure, fuck it. At least less humans will die while we throw endless amounts of plastic, metal and battery’s at each other.