The idea for a military super dog was conceived by Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense tech firm Anduril Industries, and Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, a bioengineering company that aims to protect endangered species and bring back extinct animals.
Warhound said it has secured $200 million in its first funding round from investors, including In-Q-Tel, the Central Intelligence Agency-linked venture-capital firm, and Sequoia Capital.
I guess once you have one billion dollar government contract, you sit around at home with your friends discussing how to get the next one, during rounds of puff puff pass. That's what I would do anyway.
As for the accuracy of the statement "The idea for a military super dog was conceived by Palmer Luckey" well, wikipedia begs to differ:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare
The earliest use of war dogs in a battle recorded in classical sources was by Alyattes of Lydia against the Cimmerians around 600 BC. The Lydian dogs killed some invaders and routed others.[4] At the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC), Cambyses II deployed dogs, cats, and other animals held sacred by the Egyptians.
Also, honestly, couldn't anyone with a kennel, a genetic testing facility sub-contractor, and AI models to guide selection do this for far less money ?
From the article:
Warhound said the dogs would be outfitted with the sensing technology. Anduril has developed an AI-powered helmet for humans that is supposed to give soldiers better awareness of their surroundings. The prototype is in early testing stages.
Ah ha ! Eureka ... the recurring revenue stream.
The Mic Golden Faucet.
A Howard Hughes drill bit for every dog. Cha-ching.
bookofjoe•1h ago