It is not just one-way attack drones (read JPMorgan report) operating on AI-enabled kill chains that human soldiers have to worry about on the modern battlefield. We have been laying out this story and were among the first to point out that humanoid robots are not only entering factory floors and warehouses, but are also moving toward the battlefield.
San Francisco-based robotics company Foundation Future Industries is developing a "dual-use" humanoid robot called the "Phantom MK1," designed for heavy manufacturing, logistics, and the military.
The defense angle for the Phantom MK1 is quite simple: replace the human soldier with the robot for close-quarters battle (CQB) operations, including breaching and room-clearing support.
Beyond CQB, a never-before-seen video now shows the Phantom MK1 operating a mobile light mortar system during a live-fire training exercise in Las Vegas, Nevada.
You're getting a front-row seat to what the 2030s battlefield will look like.
Phantom MK1 Holding 9mm Pistol
To better understand the Foundation's position, we reached out for comment. The company responded with the following statement:
The US military has backed Foundation in over $73M on grants and contracts to develop their robot to this point.
Although many of the use cases they've worked on have been logistics-focused, the ultimate goal has always been kinetic use cases.
Although drones and UGVs have been promising new robots on the Ukrainian battlefield, humanoids are the only robot being built that promises to interact with the entire fleet and arsenal of human weapons and vehicles.
Launching mortars and soon breaching doors have become near-term proofs of humanoids moving from logistics to kinetic engagements.
( The live video of the robot actually firing the mortar is not that impressive but
it is at the source. These robots are not up to human abilities, but they are more expendable than humans.)
https://www.zerohedge.com/military/watch-humanoid-warbot-live-fires-mortars-vegas-test-range
========================================================What's In A Name? Alaska GOP Succeeds In Stopping Democrats From Stealing The Senate Election
Alaska's election officials may have just saved a U.S. Senate seat from one of the more brazen ballot schemes in recent memory. The state's Division of Elections issued a preliminary ruling this week that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg is ineligible to appear on the 2026 Senate ballot, dealing a significant blow to Democrats - in what Republicans have characterized as a coordinated Democratic effort to siphon votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan through deliberate name confusion.
Dan J. Sullivan is a 69-year-old retired teacher who filed to run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate mere days before the late-May filing deadline. Not only is his name virtually identical to the incumbent senator's, but he's also recycled the incumbent's former campaign slogan, and is using a logo similar to the senator's own branding. The attempt to deceive voters is obvious, and under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, where ballot position and name recognition carry outsized weight, the potential for voter confusion was significant and consequential
According to a report from the Anchorage Daily News, Carol Beecher, director of the Division of Elections, made the state's position clear in a letter to Dan J. Sullivan on Wednesday. "Based on a review of the evidence presented and in the Division's possession, the Division has determined that the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States Senator," Beecher wrote.
The ruling is preliminary, with the fake Sullivan given until 5 p.m. Thursday to submit additional evidence before the division issues its final decision.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/whats-name-alaska-gop-succeeds-stopping-democrats-stealing-senate-election
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"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -- George Orwell
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Israel Is Ensuring Its Own Downfall
Michael almost went broke making “Beat It”
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Canadian Mother Sues OpenAI, Alleging Chatbot Encouraged Daughter's Suicide
Other parents have also sued OpenAI and accused its chatbot of seemingly encouraging their child to commit suicide.
https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/canadian-mother-sues-openai-alleging-chatbot-encouraged-daughters-suicide
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