Russia Is A Bit Behind In The Robot Arms Race

America corporations and military interests are delivering rapid, and sometimes shocking, advancements in robotics. Between Google’s lust for androids running Android and DARPA’s love of pretty much anything featured in an ’80s action movie, we’re on the cusp of a revolution in how robots are built, used, and seen in society.

In Russia, however, they have a little catching up to do. In fact, this is so sad not even the Russia Times, which we’ll remind you is run by the state, can take it seriously. No, really, read this blurb and try not to imagine some poor flack at the Миноборонпром sweating profusely as he tries to spin this as anything other than sad:

Russia’s military is busy building autonomous tanks, unmanned vehicles and other weapons one won’t be ashamed of in the 21st century. Vladimir Putin visited a Research Institute outside Moscow and was shown a combat robot. Here’s what he saw.

No, no, you should be ashamed of this. We’re pretty sure this is a high school science project being passed off as the real thing due to manufacturing delays. That said, the Russian armed forces do have robots that are substantially more threatening. But then again, we’re also pretty sure that this particular robot could be dealt with by the Mythbusters, so, yeah. Maybe they should step it up.

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