Sooner rather than later, humans will be replaced by innovative robots that are designed to take a beating, literally. Not only can they withstand bomb blasts, their weapons systems will rival that of aircraft and land vehicles. Continue reading to see more.

5. Cheetah


4. RHex


3. AlphaDog LS3

AlphaDog is built to carry up to 400 pounds of gear over a range of 20 miles without needing to refuel. While still in testing, Boston Dynamics taught the ‘bot two new tricks: autonomously following a human leader, and accepting commands from a soldier using a control pad. Boston Dynamics has also worked to reduce the amount of noise the machine makes. In the future, Boston Dynamics could teach AlphaDog to respond to voice commands, meaning any soldier could radio instructions to it rather than having to use a controller.

2. Sarcos

Benjamin Stephens is a Ph.D. student in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He is originally from Oklahoma, but received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. His PhD research focuses on the control of humanoid robot balance and push recovery for force-controlled robots. He is interested in the use of real-time optimal control for robust control of very complex systems. Using his knowledge and experience, he hopes to make legged/humanoid robots more capable of operating in rough and uncertain environments.


Created by Boston Dynamics, a company you probably already know and love (and fear) for its amazing quadrupedal ‘bots, the PETMAN isn’t going to be fitted out with miniguns and rocket launchers and stabby bits. Instead, it needs its approximate human form and motions so that it can test out clothing for the military. That’s right, engineers are using this expensive piece of hardware to play dress up. Namely, chemical suits that could protect military personnel from attacks your average uniform wouldn’t.

Bonus Videos

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