U.S. military makes robo-horse of doom (well, maybe not doom, but it’s cool)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, makes really freaking cool horse-robots. Or spider-robots. I’m not sure what this thing resembles, but it’s a human-sized robot that can now do more than trot along and get back up if it falls — it can stalk you.

The horse, otherwise known as Legged Squad Support System (LS3), comes out of a partnership between DARPA and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, as The Atlantic notes. It now listens to a “leader follow” command, which tells it to follow a target wherever it may go. A description on the YouTube video of LS3 says that its footing and ability to roll and get back up when it falls have also improved. This means it can stalk you in a number of different terrains.

Unfortunately, the horse isn’t exactly quiet. Its gears and mechanical parts make a constant whizzing noise that is guaranteed to bring attention to it. That is, unless you’re stalking someone in the Forest of White Noise, then you’re good.

Of course, some might ask, why not just use a regular, quieter horse? Can a horse stalk your target and potentially be outfitted with cameras or maybe even weapons one day to take out that target? NOPE. Not unless it’s Mister Ed, and really, the most spectacular thing we saw out of him was some advanced vocal cords.

Check out the video for more of what LS3 can do, including galloping and walking through tight hallways: