What has four legs, can carry 300 pounds for 13 miles, and takes every order given to it? No, it's not a horse, it's the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) four-legged robot modeled after man's best friend (a dog, not a lazy boy chair) to carry gear and supplies soldiers usually haul. And BigDog, as the robot is lovingly called, is going to be getting even bigger soon.

Sources at Danger Room say that DARPA scientists are bent on giving BigDog a metaphorical dose of steroids, allowing it to carry 400 pounds over a distance of 20 miles of rough, icy, or snowy terrain. The modifications will also require the mechanic mule to "sprint at a ten mile-per-hour pace in 120 degree heat, climb stairs, slosh through water, and squat on standby in the rain or snow for most of the day."

Sounds pretty good for the soldier whose back is saved from having to haul supplies until you actually hear this thing. It sounds like your neighbor weed whacking - hardly a boon to soldiers looking to keep a low profile. 

Researchers at DARPA understand the problem, and in their ongoing modifications intend to make the gas-powered robots sound more like cats than dogs, though it will still utilize the eerily dog-like walking system that's very effective in getting the robot up hills and in keeping it balanced.    

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And the hilarious spoof version of that DARPA video:

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