US Military develops "robotic pack mule"

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

The United States Military is currently developing a "robotic pack mule," which walks on four legs and displays amazing reflexes and walking abilities.

 

The robot can withstand a strong kick to the side without falling over, and can navigate rocky ground without tipping over. It's an amazing display of abilities for a robot, and the military hopes to develop it further. The possibilities are endless, and it could possibly replace human roles in certain dangerous tasks and other menial ones, like transporting large containers or doing medical evacuations. In any case, it's a major achievement for the robotics industry.

 

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8802

[bascule]

Well, it's cool to see a tetrapod robot and all, but it can only carry a measly 40kg. That's substantially less than a real mule. I expect a few million went into this research project too. Seems like an enormous waste of money, but maybe the research they'll get out of this can be applied to other, more useful projects.