BEYNES (France), May 8 -- France's armed forces are on schedule to develop battle-ready robots by 2040, according to participants in a test bringing together the military with engineers, researchers and defence contractors.

"We hope to have something fairly evolved within three years, with the first ground robot capabilities ready to equip our forces," said the army's commander of future combat, General Bruno Baratz.

At the recent competition event over several weeks - the third such exercise since the armed forces set the 2040 target four years ago - robots fitted with legs, wheels, and treads navigated obstacles and evaded traps at a base west of Paris to test their ability to hold ground against enemy forces.

From surveillance to mi...