The UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has developed a prototype of a robot that can autonomously detect, report and map dangerous chemicals spread over large areas. Designated the Merlin, the robot was developed in partnership with independent UK vehicle engineering and development company HORIBA MIRA. The development of the Merlin was jointly funded by the MoD and the UK Home Office (interior ministry) because of its dual military and civilian applications (chemical defence and dealing with major chemical accidents). The development of the robot was started under a project named Minerva and the operational trials that tested the prototype were conducted as part of the subsequent Project Servitus.