Robots could be the next big recruits for the military. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) debuted a new version of its pack mule robot – also known as a Legged Squad Support System (LS3) – earlier this week. The bot is designed to shoulder up to 400 pounds of supplies.
Inspired by a pack mule, the robot mimics the movements of the four-legged animal; it can follow visual and oral commands, leaving troops in combat to focus on other tasks. The robot will be tested over the next two years, the culmination of which will be an operational exercise with a Marine squad.
The robot can currently trot at a speed of 1- to 3-mph over rocky terrain, and can right itself if tipped over. Most importantly, the bot can take orders.
“The vision for LS3 is to combine the capabilities of a pack mule with the intelligence of a trained animal,” Army Lt. Col. Joe Hitt, DARPA program manager said in a statement.
DARPA is a military research group based in Arlington, Va. Last week, it also announced its Cheetah robot reached 28.3 mph running on a treadmill, making it the fastest legged robot in history. It also broke the human record set by Usain Bolt in 2009 –- 27.44 mph.
[via Fox News]