China Rips Off US Military With New “Mechanical Yak” Robot

In what appears to be a direct ripoff of the US Army’s quadrupedal robot, China showed off its new “mechanical yak,” designed to go places deemed too risky for humans. 

Footage published on state-run media outlet People’s Daily Online’s YouTube page shows the quadrupedal robot performing maneuvers on all sorts of rugged terrain. The yak can carry 160 kilograms (334 pounds) while operating at 10 kilometers (six miles) per hour.

The robot is designed to haul military equipment in the most challenging terrains, such as cliffs, mountains, trenches, deserts, snowy areas, and muddy roads.

According to the state media, the yak has highly-advanced sensors that sense its environment and can avoid obstacles. It could be a game-changer for military logistics and reconnaissance missions on the heavily contested China-India border. 

The yak is nearly identical to the US Army’s Boston Dynamics-built Legged Squad Support System, a powerful quadrupedal robot meant to carry gear, weapons, and other equipment. However, there’s one big difference. The yak is battery powered while the US’ is very noisy with a two-stroke petrol engine. 

In the age of killer robots, the modern battlefield will be fought with AI combat robots, fifth-generation fighter jets, jet packs, lasers, new main battle rifles, and whatever other new technology that can be easily molded into a killing machine.