Slashdot Mirror
Robot Mule Put Out To Pasture By Marine Corps (nbcnews.com)
An anonymous reader sends word that the Marines have decided that Boston Dynamics' robotic pack mules are too noisy to use. NBC reports: The massive robotic mule developed by Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics won't see combat with U.S. Marines. LS3 (Legged Squad Support Systems) was meant to carry cargo for weary soldiers in the field. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the robot was capable of walking with 400 pounds of equipment on its back. LS3 could run for 24 hours straight on a 20-mile mission across rough terrain. No controller was needed; it took visual and verbal cues from soldiers to find its way. So why doesn't the Marine Corps want to use it? The robot's gas-powered engine isn't exactly the stealthiest piece of technology.
With its payload capacity, it could probably carry 40 gallons of water, that could make a big difference for a wildland firefighter.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
No, they said it was a successful prototype and they intend to continue development on the next model, based in part on what they learned from this one. Normal R&D.