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Over the years Defence Watch has featured articles on the U.S. Marines Legged Squad Support System, referred to by some as the robotic mule.

The system was the result of a $32 million project started in 2010 between the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Google Inc.’s Boston Dynamics.

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The project created an autonomous four-legged creature carry 400 plus pounds of gear for troops.

Robotic mules were produced and tested and used during exercises.

But the Marines noticed a few problems. There was an issue of repairing the robot in the field when it broke down. The robot’s gas engine also sounded like a lawnmower. “As Marines were using it, there was the challenge of seeing the potential possibility because of the limitations of the robot itself,” Kyle Olson, a spokesman for the Marines Warfighting Lab, recenty told Military.com. “They took it as it was: a loud robot that’s going to give away their position.”

As a result, an electric motor robot was designed. Known as “Spot” that robot was quiet but had the drawback of only being able to carry a limited amount of gear for the soldier (40 pounds).

Military.com reports that Spot as well as the original robotic mules have now been put in storage.