'Pack mule' to lighten soldiers' loads
China has developed a four-legged robot that can relieve soldiers from carrying heavy equipment and large backpacks when they perform duties on rough terrain, said its designer.
"The Robot Dog has completed all tests and can be put into mass production as soon as we receive orders. Having supreme mobility, it can carry 150 kg of equipment and backpacks for five soldiers, so is very suitable for use in mountainous regions and plateaus in Tibet or Xinjiang," Niu Xinli, deputy general manager and senior engineer at Heilongjiang Sino Robot Technology, developer of the bionic machine, told China Daily in an exclusive interview.
The average load of a Chinese infantry soldier is about 30 kg, which often consumes much of a soldier's strength, he said. the company is a subsidiary of China South Industries Group Corp, one of the major contractors of the People's Liberation Army.
