It is no secret that American troops in Iraq routinely use unmanned air vehicles—flying robots, in essence—in reconnaissance and combat missions. Far less well known are robots that operate on the ground, including a new one that can look for danger around corners or in areas under heavy fire and can be carried around in a soldier’s backpack.
The robot is known as a Dragon Runner and was designed by Hagen Schempf of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The device, which is currently undergoing classified tests in Iraq, is about the size and weight of a house cat and, like a feline, is designed to always land on its feet. It can be tossed through a glass window three stories up and hit the ground running, upside down, or down side up, at more than 20 miles per hour.
A handheld controller, which lets soldiers remotely send Dragon ...
