The US Army has picked an armoured humanoid robot called Alex as one of its most promising future machines. The robot won the Army’s xTechHumanoid competition last month.

Alex was built by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. It has impact-resistant actuators, ballistic protection and a mix of AI and human control.

The competition drew 103 proposals. Nine finalists showed their robots at Quantico, Virginia, on September 9 and 10. Five winners were announced on September 11.

The other winners work on robot power, generators, touch sensors and software. The Army wants humanoids for dangerous jobs like bomb disposal and battlefield logistics.

Army technology chief Alex Miller said the winners showed what is possible when the Army works with innovators. The programme is called FUZE.

The robots are not approved for deployment. The Army will keep testing them in controlled settings first.

Humanoid robots are advancing fast. The Army wants to make sure it leads, not follows.