A four-legged robot called BigDog now sports an arm powerful enough to lift and throw breeze blocks. Made by US robotics company Boston Dynamics,
the machine is backed by the Pentagon. BigDog was designed primarily for military use, and the arm could help soldiers pick up and carry heavy loads.
But one robotics expert said the technology's potential was "enormous" for use in other areas, such as search and rescue. BigDog is one of several
robots created by the Massachusetts-based firm and funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). Continue reading the main
story “Start Quote [Imagine] setting off these units across a rough terrain if they were looking for a lost child or a walker on a
mountainside” Chris Melhuish Bristol Robotics Laboratory It has been in development since 2005 and is the the size of a large dog "or a small
mule," says the company.