Robot soldier could help save human comrades' lives

(Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Relax, puny humans – it may look like a prototype evil Terminator, but this android has come to help. Its job is to test equipment for the UK's armed forces.

The robot, Porton Man, is named after the home of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down in southern England. It possesses an impressive range of movement – Porton Man can march, run and lift its arm to sight a weapon, just like an infantry soldier.

Porton Man's designers used technology from Formula 1 racing cars to give the android tough, lightweight carbon-composite body parts. It carries more than 100 sensors, allowing technicians to study the performance of equipment such as chemical, biological and radiological protection suits.

Future soldiers may have reason to thank Porton Man for better protection against nerve agents such as sarin gas. To find out more about military technology, have a look at the most recent articles in our Topic Guide.

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