Brave battlefield rescues of injured soldiers may one day be a thing of the past, as the US military has developed a robot that can recover wounded or kidnapped fighters.

The remote-controlled Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (or BEAR for short), will have a teddy bear-style head and will be able to travel over rough terrain while carrying a casualty securely in its arms.

The man behind the robot, Daniel Theobald, told New Scientist magazine that the "friendly appearance" of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease. "We saw a need for a robot that can essentially go where a human can. The robot will be an integral part of a military team," Theobald added.

BEAR is expected to be field ready in 2010.