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China’s 'Mechanical Yak' Could Change the Military Game

China has always been known for its unique ideas in the field of technology. From creating an 'artificial moon' to building a solar expressway for self-driving cars, the country has been the leader in innovation for decades. Recently, they have come up with something even more impressive that can change the game in military warfare.
The country’s state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), recently showed off a game-changing electric-powered quadruped bionic robot - the world’s largest and heaviest of its kind. Analysts from the country said that the robot has been developed for completing military logistics and reconnaissance tasks in complex environments such as high-risk combat zones and remote border areas, which are too challenging for human soldiers.
Let’s find out what exactly this robot can do.

Meet the Mechanical Yak 

Quadruped Bionic Robot, Mechanical Yak 
The newly-developed robot can walk on four legs and has a yak-like appearance. This has led many to call it a mechanical yak. This robotic beast can sprint at a speed of 6 mph (10 kph) and can carry up to 352 pounds (160 kg) of weight, CCTV reported.
The mechanical yak is equipped with sensors that allow it to be aware of the surrounding terrain and environment. More importantly, its robust build helps it to endure the toughest off-grid military missions. The robot has also shown a strong ability to conquer different landscapes like muddy roads, grasslands, deserts, snowfields, steps, trenches, and cliffs. This makes the robot well-suited to and compatible with China’s diverse terrain and varied topography.
Also, thanks to 12 sets of joint modules, the powerful machine can perform a series of unexpected movements like moving forward and backward, jumping, running, turning, sprinting, and dashing in a stable manner, the report states. 
Quadruped Bionic Robot,

The quadruped bionic robot is expected to become a strategic tool for military operations and will be deployed to deliver supplies including munitions and food in challenging environments where normal vehicles have a difficult time negotiating.

CCTV says that the mechanical yak can potentially collect battlefield intelligence and monitor target movements even in the harshest of environments. If this is true, the robot can even be used for recons of rough terrains without alerting enemy radars like other flying drones. It could be particularly useful for missions in remote border regions such as high altitude plateaus, icy terrains, and dense forests where regular surveillance is required but constant human presence isn’t possible. 

Chinese military experts say that the bionic robot can play a crucial role in high-risk battle zones by replacing human scouts and delivery teams, thus reducing casualties. If necessary, the mechanical yak will execute armed reconnaissance missions, just like an aerial drone, but only on the ground. There are even plans to equip the machine with weapons in the future.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first quadruped bionic robot China has developed. According to CCTV, a bionic mechanical dog named Geda is another example of this technology. The robotic dog is almost the same size as an actual dog and weighs 70.5 pounds (32 kilos) with the capacity to carry a load of 88 pounds (40 kilos) of goods. The state broadcaster reports that Geda has been trained to understand simple voice commands and use facial recognition. The robot has cleared tests to traverse forests, rocky roads, tiny corridors, single-plank bridges, and narrow passages.

Related: A Robot With Human Facial Expressions - Incredible!

It will be interesting to see if the quadruped bionic robots live up to the hype. Analysts from the county say that China has plans to unveil more types of bionic robots soon and utilize their advantages in battle. 

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