We've had a plague, we've had recession, and we've had lock-downs and travel bans. But if there's one thing we all feel 2020 is missing, it's a mechanized army of blood-thirsty robot dogs.

Oh wait, no we aren't missing that, because today that dream has become a reality! The US Air Force has unveiled their new canine warriors, which is a move sure to make super villains the world over rub their hands together in evil glee. Dr Evil's Lazer Sharks could now be obsolete!

But for real, these robot dogs, or as they are formally called: "autonomous unmanned ground vehicles", might not be be as scary as all that. They make the jobs of air force personnel easier, and could definitely save lives. Their purpose is to scout ahead and with an array of high-tech sensory equipment they can detect for enemy threats without putting humans in direct risk.

But still, the robot dogs will be at risk, which begs the question: why did we have to make them cute?! They're robots. These scientists surely could make them look like anything, but they made them look like our most treasured furry friends. Did they have to call them dogs so we feel bad for making them run around minefields only to get blown up? And why stop there? Why not double down on the evil and have a robot kitten army? Or robot babies?

In any case, these metal pups are going to be a good thing for keeping humans out of harm's way, but they aren't quite as cool as the phrase "Robot Dog Soldiers" implies. We are still another few years off seeing a ten-thousand-strong army of mechanical hell-hounds doing battle over our floating cities in the sky. That sci-fi dream will have to wait.