Legged Squad Support System

Like BigDog, its quadruped predecessor, the LS3 was ruggedized for military use, with the ability to operate in hot, cold, wet, and dirty environments.

DARPA continued to support the program and carried out the first outdoor exercise on the latest variation of the LS3 in February 2012, with it successfully demonstrating its full capabilities during a planned hike encompassing tough terrain.

Following its initial success, an 18-month plan was unveiled, which saw DARPA complete the overall development of the system and refine its key capabilities, due to start in summer 2012.

Giving voice commands was seen as a more efficient way of controlling the LS3, because a soldier would be too occupied with a joystick and computer screens to focus on a mission.

Continued work was done to make the LS3 more mobile, like traversing a deep snow-covered hill, or avoiding gunfire and bombs on the battlefield.

[7] From 7-10 October 2013, the LS3 took part in testing, along with other systems, at Fort Benning, Georgia as part of the U.S. Army's Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) program, an effort to find an unmanned robotic platform to transport soldier equipment and charge batteries for their electronic gear.

Operators were surprised at the level of stability and reliability it had walking; although it was able to traverse 70-80 percent of terrain, it did have problems negotiating obliques and contours of hills.

No future experiments or upgrades are planned, and it would take a new contract and interest from Marine Corps top brass to resurrect the program.