United States - with their heavy armor and the ever growing list of gadgets peak, the soldiers are now more than 45 kg of equipment. The dog-robot "Big Dog" designed to carry loads should transform the lives of troops at the front.

In addition to the items that the soldiers wear (weapons, ammunition, water and food), they must add their armor, night vision goggles, cameras, radios, GPS devices and 10 kg of batteries. There are sometimes up to 70 kg as temperatures rise to 50 ° C. With this weight, the patrols are slowed down and limited their movements, making them more vulnerable to attack.

The Department of Defense is looking at ways to lighten their load. Today, one of the solutions took the form of a military robot that can run tirelessly at a speed of 6 km / h, with 150 kg of supplies and allowing troops to focus on combat. It can also be programmed to carry a cargo or a wounded soldier to a place pre-recorded.

Board computers are connected to sensors and cameras at the front of the robot. They control the hydraulic motors to guide the "legs" of the robotic creature. Big Dog keeps the balance on any type of ground, and recovered only when pushed.

The Pentagon has already spent more than 22 million euros for the development of this machine and hopes to use these robots on the front in Afghanistan in recent months. The UK Ministry of Defense oversees the project closely with the idea of ordering the machines.

Professor Noel Sharkey of Sheffield University, an expert in robotics, said: "As these robots are very expensive and valuable, they will eventually be equipped with weapons to defend themselves. For the moment, in the complex military operations, it is not possible for a computer to know the difference between a soldier and a civilian. "