JiHe47 Shuka

The Kurikara JiHe47 Shuka is a mass-produced humanoid combat drone. It is in wide use by the Imperial Army and Provincial Armies, and their availability allows them to find use by smaller factions, private corporations and even rebel of terrorist groups. Shuka units are typically controlled by a distributed AI hive-mind network, preventing direct hacking, though it is still possible to remotely modify their physical functions and even friend-or-foe indicators with the proper equipment.

Description
The Shuka's humanoid shape and familiar five-fingered hands allow the drone to make use of the same equipment, operate the same systems and fit in the same spaces in vehicles as conventional troops. The Shuka's main draw is its expendability, with each unit's construction and maintenance costs far below the per-unit-cost of training and supporting a Human soldier, also reducing the loss of lives on battlefields across Imperial Space.

Fully robotic, the Shuka is many times stronger than a human, allowing them to carry heavy weaponry or decimate soft targets in close range. They are more durable than human troops due to their armoured plating and mechanical nature, and are capable of surviving most small-arms fire, though high-calibre rounds are able to heavily damage Shuka units.

To quell any "robot revolution" fears, Shuka hive-minds are completely separate, "dumb-AI" systems that govern a small unit of 21 units, forming a single platoon of three squads. The AI network is spread across every robot, allowing each unit to continue to act autonomously even if all other units in the platoon have been destroyed. Shuka are programmed with complex friend-or-foe identification, fire-detection and cognitive capabilities, allowing them to react to any changes on the battlefield. Due to the network, not only are individual units able to react to new situations, but all units in the platoon are simultaneously updated.

Shuka are all programmed in advanced infantry tactics, and are able to work together, alone or with human soldiers.

History
Initially the Shuka was not allowed to carry out autonomous activities without a human monitor, which caused efficiency issues and made the robots' reaction times too slow to be effective in a combat situation. The first iterations of the Shuka found niche roles in civilian roles such as security, law enforcement and prison monitoring.