Russia's humanoid robot FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research) could now shoot using both arms, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said.
"The robot of the F.E.D.O.R. program showed skills of firing using both arms. Currently the work on fine motor skills and decision algorithm is underway," Rogozin wrote on Twitter.
Dismissing possible safety and security concerns that they are creating a real-life "Terminator-style killer," he said that the robot was trained to shoot to instantly prioritize targets and make decisions. The reference to the robot was based on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Hollywood science fiction franchise wherein a robot takes over the earth and kills all humans standing against its way.
"We are not creating a terminator but artificial intelligence which will have a great practical importance in various fields," he noted.
In the clip posted by Rogozin, the robot can be seen firing a pair of guns at a target board. It also featured other "robot-like" vehicles in action firing at targets on a range, but these are believe to be remote controlled, the Mirror reported.
The FEDOR robot is also set to fly to space in 2021, as it aims to help astronauts to work in open space and serve at the station. It was earlier reported that the first flight of Russia's unmanned next-generation Federation spacecraft will be guided by FEDOR.
"The unmanned launch and autonomous flight of our new spacecraft will take place in 2021... It is expected, and all relevant decisions have already been made, that robot FEDOR will be the first pilot," Yevgeny Mikrin, Roscosmos general designer of the manned aircraft, said as quoted by Sputnik News.
Aside from leading the spacecraft, FEDOR, which stands six foot tall and weighs between 106 and 160 kilograms, is also expected to perform service work on the orbital station.