THE makers of a new battlefield robot have released a video showing it smashing down doors, rescuing a wounded soldier and, er, pumping iron?

Vecna Robotics in the US has been working on BEAR (Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot) for several years, but until now, has only spliced computer graphics of it in action with simple laboratory tests.

Amazingly versatile, BEAR is able to stand on its "hind legs" and peer into cars that may contain explosives, open their doors and boots, or simply flip them over.

It can also open regular house doors, although it seems to prefer smashing through them.

Yes, BEAR has attitude. Several times during Vecna demonstration videos, you'd swear BEAR was flipping you the bird.

The ability to stand and balance on its "heels" comes from its two sets of tracked feet, which move independently to counter any unbalancing forces.

It can also balance on its knees and hips, according to Vecna, allowing it to pick up and transport a human body, or any weight up to 225kg.

Its upper body is powered by hydraulics, giving it crushing strength and a Schwarzenegger-like ability to pump iron.

Vecna was founded in 1999 by former students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the BEAR project is funded by the US Army.

The army also sees BEAR as a safer solution for battlefield tasks such as mine extraction, handling hazardous material and surveillance duties.

Those who have watched BEAR in action on YouTube were suitably awed.

"BEAR 2.0 will be powerful enough to inflict pain to Chuck Norris, and BEAR 3.0 will be able to draw blood," sylvur wrote.

"Will BEAR4.0 be enough to actually knock out or even kill Chuck Norris?"

Maybe. If only it had a robotic tree-climbing snake stashed away in its chest cavity, ready to deploy...