The Pentagon’s blue-sky researchers recently took an upgraded LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) robot out on a walk through the woods and hills of Fort Pickett, Virginia. This was the first test conducted on the LS3 after bolstering the autonomy functions for this R459m project – now in its fifth year.

As the video below shows, when a human instructor calls out “engine on” and “follow tight,” the robot’s engine activates, and it follows its master on exactly the path the human takes. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Hitt, Darpa’s LS3 program manager:

When the human calls out ‘follow corridor, the robot will generate the path that’s most efficient for itself.

So far, the system responds to 10 basic voice commands, such as “stop,” “follow tight,” or “engine off.”

But perception and platform robustness remain challenges – like ensuring the robot can react to changes in light or weather. It can’t, for instance, look at a snow-covered hill and figure out if the snow is too deep to traverse. Nor can it avoid battlefield dangers like gunfire or bombs. We’ll have to always continue to add additional logic.

[Source: Wired]