I imagine some scientist was sitting in his office one day, playing with his Winnie the Pooh doll and his Robocop action figure, when the proverbial light bulb appeared above his head, and thus the BEAR was born.  Vecna Robotics is developing the Battle Extraction-Assist Robot to scoop up fallen soldiers and take them to safety.  It can reportedly carry up to 500 lbs and can keep going for around 50 minutes.  They did in fact make it look like a teddy bear intentionally, the idea being to comfort the wounded it is transporting.  Apparently I’m the only one whose dreams were terrorized by a 6 foot tall metallic teddy bear as a child, because I personally find the prospect of my life being in this things hands (or paddles) terrifying.  On a brighter note, if the military applications don’t end up working out there are loads of potential commercial uses.  I’m thinking this thing has got Segway for kids written all over it.

The Segway is a very useful tool with a range of 24 miles on commercial models, but these nifty personal transportation devices can even help you take your child on a walk when you just don’t feel like losing that extra baby fat, at least not today. The price tag is still hefty, so don’t plan to see a lot. A korean manufacturer is building a stripped down version that will retail for much cheaper.