DARPA has gone an created a real working version of the chronically obstinate, endlessly useful M.U.L.E. from old Atari gaming days.

Here are the key requirements that the robo-mule must stand up to:

  • It must be capable of carrying sufficient payload capacity, range, endurance, and low noise signature for dismounted squad support, while keeping weight and volume scaled to the squad level.
  • The robot must support all manner of walking, trotting, and running/ bounding and capabilities to jump obstacles, cross ditches, recover from disturbances and other discrete mobility features. The LS3 must be able to follow a leader between 5m and 100m ahead, in dynamic, cluttered environments with other moving soldiers in close proximity.
  • It must have the ability to perceive and traverse its immediate terrain environment autonomously with simple methods of control.
  • The robot must understand simple soldier-to-LS3 interaction with minimal direct control of the platform’s speed and heading (joy-sticking and tele-operating are examples of direct control). The vehicle must require minimal oversight or direct control (e.g. joystick control) from an operator.  Direct control modes should only be used for error recovery, and should not be needed more than 3 times per 24-hour operational period, for no more than 5 minutes at a time.
  • The robot must be able to follow a leader between 5m and 100m ahead, in dynamic, cluttered environments with other moving soldiers in close proximity.
  • The robot must be able to operate for arbitrarily long periods without GPS as well as be able to negotiate slopes up to 30 degrees fully loaded and go up steps up to 12 inches high.
  • The robot must be able to wade through 36 inches of water.

from networkworld.com

Okay, it’s not quite the hunk o’ junk the autonomous beasts of burden were in the classic game, but it seems to me to be something that can be retrofitted to fulfill a wide variety of purposes, not just hauling cargo.  Farming?  Mining? Hunting wumpuses?  (wumpi?)  Only the future will tell.

For those of you who just gotta hear that theme song, here you go:

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