US Military Scrub Marine Mule Robot Because It's Too Noisy in the Field (VIDEO)

First Posted: Jan 01, 2016 10:15 AM EST

The U.S. military is putting robotic pack mules out to pasture. It turns out that they're shelving the Boston Dynamics-built Legged Squad Support System (LS3) after it proved too awkward in the field.

The four-legged robotic mule underwent years of field trials with U.S. Marines. Now, it may never see actual action on battlefields due to how noisy it is.

The robot was first created expressly for the purpose of carrying up to 400 pounds of equipment for soldiers and Marines in the field. It was programmed to obey voice commands and automatically follow infantry during foot patrols through rough terrain. Unfortunately, this particular match wasn't to be.

"As Marines were using it, there was the challenge of seeing the potential possibility because of the limitations of the robot itself," said Kyle Olson, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, in an interview with Military.com. "They took it as it was: a loud robot that's going to give away their position."

A quieter robot isn't unheard of. Boston Dynamics did create a smaller, quieter, electric-powered version of the robot called Spot. However, this robot lacked LS3's autonomous capabilities to automatically follow humans, navigate tough terrain and obey voice commands. It could also only carry 40 pounds overall.

A robot might be a good thing for the future, especially since weigh is an issue for military personnel in the field. But for now, though, it seems that these robots are shelved.