Every new herky-jerky DARPA robot is creepier than the one before it.
PETMAN, a humanoid robot built in 2011 for the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), has been modified to climb stairs, as shown in the unsettling video above.
This is only the latest feat for PETMAN, which has already mastered walking. The robot's confident swagger has been the butt of jokes, but it wasn't designed to look like a human on the battlefield. PETMAN's primary purpose is testing chemical protection clothing, according to creator Boston Dynamics' website, and it can "simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary."
That's what will be chasing you through the post-apocalyptic wasteland.