THEY CALL IT A M.U.L.E., but it sounds more like the grandpappy of one of Keith Laumer’s Bolos:
Lockheed Martin’s MULE (Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment) has autonomously clambered over a 5-ft.-high obstacle. The Humvee-size vehicle uses six independently powered wheels and an articulated suspension to navigate rubble-strewn terrain or, as in a recent promo video (see below), to climb buglike over a car hood. Three types of MULEs are planned, all intended to dutifully follow dismounted infantry units. A heavily armed 2.5-ton version could be deployed by the Army by 2013.
Video at the link. I can’t help but feel, though, that we need a different Laumer character more than we need bolos at the moment . . . .