Robot forklift

Researchers in MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are developing a semi-autonomous forklift that could prove useful in war zones.

Currently, when supplies arrive at military outposts, people driving forklifts unload the pallets and put them into storage, and later load them onto trucks to take the material to where it is needed. These forklift operators must often scramble for cover, slowing the work and putting them at risk.

When completed, the new robotic device will provide a safer way to handle pallet-loaded supplies, said Matt Walter, a CSAIL post-doctoral researcher with a lead role in the project. The device is also designed to operate outdoors on uneven terrain such as gravel or packed earth.

Walter said: 'In Iraq, it has not been uncommon for workers to have to abandon the forklift three or four times a day because they come under fire.

'A lot of the work could be automated, thus alleviating people's exposure to danger, but it's a very difficult task.'