Metal Gear: Kalashnikov Unveils 4.5-Ton, Bulletproof “Walking Army Robot”

Megalith

Megalith

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AK-47 inventor Kalashnikov unveiled a new bulletproof robot at a recent army fair in Moscow. The gold giant, called “Igorek,” is being compared to the mech suits seen in Avatar and the ED-209 from RoboCop: it can supposedly not only walk, but hold weapons using its giant claws.

While Kalashnikov are remaining tight-lipped on any further details at the moment, Igorek is likely to be used to magnify soldiers' strength while providing protection from military and environmental threats - just like the AMP suits in Avatar.
 
tr_mech_by_dougflinders-d5uw4d3.jpg
 
Looks like a bad CGI insert, frankly.

And like an RPG magnet. Or a Yugo up its backside, equally lethal to it.
Wait, do people even know what a Yugo is? Should I have said Tata?
 
If that model is accurate the engineers should be shot.

I see a damned uncovered STEEL piston... A piston which is going to DRIVE THE LEGS clearly visible. It doesn't matter if the entire skin can match an abrams 2000+mm if a damned 50 cal round can disable its legs from a mile out.

ONE strike in that area from something a light vehicle or even groundling carries and that entire platform is 4.5 tons of scrap. Also, there is ZERO chance in hell that thing has enough horsepower to have any meaningful traversal. Just looking at the thing I'd rather have an M9 ACE and a fatigue party. At least I'd know the job would get done and the vehicle would be in little danger to something as pathetic as small arms.
 
Unless they have perfected compact cold fusion technology, that this is not going very far very fast. Specs: 100 meters/hour, then you refuel.
 
My grade-school doodles of 'bots from my MechWarrior game had more detail and curvature than this hideously blocky and awkward looking thing. I'd be less terrified it would defeat me in battle, more terrified it'd trip over its own two feet and crush me by accident.
 
Looks dumb. These type of systems should start off as perimeter defenses to a base, mounted on towers, and then slowly evolve and maybe down the line mount them on legs or other means of movement.
 
Look at the hydraulic cylinders. Where are the hydraulic lines?
Or even if they are some kind of linear actuator they need some kind of power.
 
I can think of exactly zero situations where it wouldn't be cheaper, easier, and far more reliable to stick the pilot's bubble on an ATV-style chassis instead. Walkers just don't make any sense from a physics perspective. Hell, even in the Mechwarrior setup they only barely make any sense, heavy tanks are almost always ton-for-ton far more dangerous. And that's giving them the advantage of mobility that is completely out of the reach of this abortion.
 
Ah . . . Russians. As I think I've detailed here before, my immediate inlaws are native Russians and I've spent a lot of time there. They're definitely a unique breed of people. They hate the West while simultaneously copping it. Their technology is both shit and robust. Their men are strong while having the fragilest of egos. Their women embrace femininity yet will rip your balls off for the slightest perceived transgression. Their stupidity is only outshined by their brilliance. They are a study in contradictions.

You'll find more Confederate flags in Russia than you will find in all the South in the USA. They also have a boner for American Indians. There is some common thread which runs through their way of thinking which after years I'm still trying to figure out.

But yeah, robots 'n' shit. I digress.
 
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Is it April the 1st already again?
Looks like painted card board

Anyway if it really works, how is it powered?

Did the Russians have a breakthrough in cold fusion?
 
Are they serious? They make a paper mache model and we're supposed to care?
 
Delicieuxz said:
It might just be for fun. It's a concept build, shown at an army fair.
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Right, but the difference between them making a paper mache robot and me making a paper mache robot is nothing. Making a bipedal robot walk has proven to be a very difficult process, so making a fake military robot that can't even walk is cart-before-the-horse, and not deserving of media attention.
 



In this video it's said by the Kalashnikov CEO that they're currently working on making it "counterpoise" and that they expect it to be so next year, and that there will be both manned and self-navigating versions. And it's said by the show host that Kalashnikov is looking at using a gas-turbine power plant to power it.

So, I guess it's a serious project.
 
Delicieuxz said:



In this video it's said by the Kalashnikov CEO that they're currently working on making it "counterpoise" and that they expect it to be so next year, and that there will be both manned and self-navigating versions. And it's said by the show host that Kalashnikov is looking at using a gas-turbine power plant to power it.

So, I guess it's a serious project.
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But again, step #1 in making a walking military robot is making a walking robot. They have yet to accomplish this and it's not an easy task. So, putting up a model that looks like someone put a total of 2 hours and some cardboard into is laughable. They should, at the very least, make a professional detailed mock up so that we and the press don't make fun of it. It shows the opposite of being serious about something.
 
Gweenz said:
But again, step #1 in making a walking military robot is making a walking robot. They have yet to accomplish this and it's not an easy task. So, putting up a model that looks like someone put a total of 2 hours and some cardboard into is laughable. They should, at the very least, make a professional detailed mock up so that we and the press don't make fun of it. It shows the opposite of being serious about something.
Click to expand...
Making it walk isn't actually the major challenge. Remember for a technology to replace another technology is must be significantly superior not incrementally superior. Especially with military tech. Logistics is complex and expensive enough that any change must have a demonstrable effect on efficiency.

Which leads me to my point... Name one thing a walking robot would do better than a 5 ton with multiple articulate arms like EOD already uses. Making special note of the non-walking platforms superior stability, mobility, speed, and explosive resistance design. From a military point of view, an MRAP and M9 ACE combo can do any demo or land moving task a frontline force needs and do it safely. A walking platform is a step backwards.
 
Gweenz said:
But again, step #1 in making a walking military robot is making a walking robot. They have yet to accomplish this and it's not an easy task. So, putting up a model that looks like someone put a total of 2 hours and some cardboard into is laughable. They should, at the very least, make a professional detailed mock up so that we and the press don't make fun of it. It shows the opposite of being serious about something.
Click to expand...

Nafensoriel said:
Making it walk isn't actually the major challenge. Remember for a technology to replace another technology is must be significantly superior not incrementally superior. Especially with military tech. Logistics is complex and expensive enough that any change must have a demonstrable effect on efficiency.

Which leads me to my point... Name one thing a walking robot would do better than a 5 ton with multiple articulate arms like EOD already uses. Making special note of the non-walking platforms superior stability, mobility, speed, and explosive resistance design. From a military point of view, an MRAP and M9 ACE combo can do any demo or land moving task a frontline force needs and do it safely. A walking platform is a step backwards.
Click to expand...


Like many tech prototypes, I think it's serious as an R&D project to discover and work out all the involved concepts to make the technology field capable ahead of knowing what the applications of the tech might be. Once that's done and once proficient application of the involved concepts is ready, all the lessons learned will likely be applied to further projects if any good uses for them are identified. I don't think this is planned for mass production and possibly not for any specific real-world use, but for presenting a host of challenges that require problem solving via the development of new tech and understanding into a developing and potentially useful field. So, at least it would be for the sake of staying ahead and having capable knowledge of cutting-edge tech.
 
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