In a terrifying glimpse of the future of warfare, two defence companies have shown off their newly armed robotic dog at an event in the US.
Ghost Robotics and SWORD (special warfare operations research and development) International combined technologies to introduce SPUR at the Association of the US Army's annual convention.
SPUR, which stands for 'special purpose unmanned rifle', is a 6.5mm Creedmore rifle from SWORD attached to Ghost Robotics' quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicles (Q-UGV).
According to SWORD, the rifle was specifically designed to offer precision shooting remotely, keeping the sniper safely away from any target.
It's currently set up to be controlled by an operator who can turn the safety on and off, load the gun and fire it from a distance, as well as deal with any observed errors.
The gun offers precise delivery from over a kilometre away from the target and is designed to operate both day and night, with the dog able to traverse difficult terrain.
The prospect of an armed killer dog on the streets and battleground has gained some interest on social media, of course.
"So you've done some fancy stepping to avoid saying the quiet part out loud. Let me do it for you," one Twitter user wrote.
"We created a soulless piece of hardware for brutal population suppression when the billionaires finally fear for their ill-gotten gains."
Some Instagram users were equally as worried.
"They really are gonna wipe us all out aren't they? They're gonna be as careless with these as they've been with drones," one wrote.
Others compared it to both the Terminator and Robocop movies.
Reaction was always likely given the backlash to the New York Police Department's (NYPD) use of an unarmed robotic dog earlier this year.
The purpose of Boston Dynamics' Spot was to help officers better identify dangers at crime scenes by climbing stairs and surveying hazardous areas, but was instead seen as emblematic of aggressive policing.
The NYPD eventually sent the dog back.
It's currently unclear whether SPUR will ever be used by US forces.
