What you’d get if WALL-E went to war.

By Max Hauptman | Published Jun 15, 2022 2:59 PM

The invasion of Ukraine has been described as the first “TikTok war,” with countless videos and photos posted to social media showing destroyed Russian tanks, which are promptly memed, and lately even the tradition writing notes on outgoing ordnance has gotten a 21st century reboot. Now, Russia’s war with Ukraine might be one of the first tests for the concept of Terminator-esque robots, marching off to war. Or in this case, rolling into combat: 

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This weaponized robotic vehicle ‘GNOM’ by Temerland from #Ukraine 🇺🇦 with a 7.62 machine gun will be deployed at the Ukrainian frontline in Zaporіzhzhia, Ukraine in a week – company Temerland says. @jesusfroman @SamBendett @drfranksauer @CarloMasala1 pic.twitter.com/jAMMAlm42F— Felix Woessner (@FeWoessner) June 14, 2022

Temerland, a Ukrainian robotics company, says it will deploy GNOM robotic vehicles equipped with 7.62 mm machine guns to the front lines near the city of Zaporіzhzhia.

According to a statement from Temerland, the GNOM is a fairly small robot, about 50 kilograms, or 110 pounds, and two feet long and a little less than two feet wide. A box on wheels, if you will. The GNOM can be adapted for multiple tasks, including surveillance, transporting equipment, or, in this case, as a mobile fire-support platform. Here’s a test video from last year.