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TOKYO (Japan): Japanese researchers unveiled the world's first two-legged walking robot capable of carrying a human being, which many hope could prove a boon to wheelchair-bound people and help move heavy goods on uneven land.

The prototype robot, codenamed WL-16, took two years to develop in a joint project involving the Science and Engineering Department of Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University and robot-maker tmsuk, based in the southern Japan city of Kita Kyushu.

The battery-powered robot, basically an aluminium street cafe chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles bolted to flat plate 'feet', can move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing a maximum of 60 kilogrammes (132 pounds).

"I believe this biped robot, which I prefer to call a two-legged walking chair rather than a wheelchair, will eventually enable (disabled) people to go up and down the stairs," said Atsuo Takanishi, professor at Waseda's Science and Engineering Department.

tmsuk chief executive officer Yoichi Takamoto said his company wanted to develop a practical robot, arguing biped or multi-legged types were more useful than caterpillar models over uneven ground.

But it would take "at least two years" to develop the prototype robot into a working model, Takamoto told a news conference.

The robot can adjust its posture and walk smoothly even if the person it carries shifts in the chair.

At present it is only capable stepping up or down a few millimetres (fractions of an inch), but Takanishi's team plans to make it capable of going up and down a normal flight of stairs.

WL-16's normal walking stride measures 30 centimetres (12 inches), although it can stretch its legs 1.36 metres apart. The prototype is currently radio-controlled but the research team plans to equip it with a joy stick-like controller for the user, Takanishi said.