The Rapid Equipping Force, a part of the Army designed to provide urgently needed equipment to commanders in military operations, says it wants a cargo robot that can transport supplies to troops.

There are military robots in various states of development that could help carry supplies. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the research and development arm of the Pentagon, has for a number of years sponsored work on Big Dog, a four-legged robot that looks more like a headless mule than a canine. The Marines also have worked on their own version of an unmanned supply vehicle.