A drone dog that saves life and limb

A sign warning of mines along a road near Chuhuiv, Ukraine.

WITH a stiff gait, a drone dog stomped up and down a makeshift minefield at a US Army testing centre in Virginia, shuddering when it neared a plate-size puck meant to simulate an anti-tank explosive.

On its back was a stack of cameras, GPS devices, radios and thermal imaging technology that military developers hope will help it detect mines at close range, sparing humans from that dangerous task.