A robot that can be thrown into caves or buildings to eavesdrop on al-Qaeda could open a new front in the military campaign being fought in Afghanistan.

US military chiefs are running trials of Dragon Runner, a 9kg (20lb) “throwbot” that can be carried in a soldier’s backpack. They hope to place orders for the new robot as soon as next month, Times Online has learnt.

Qinetiq, the British company that has already produced 2,500 Talon robots for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that Dragon Runner, designed by Carnegie Mellon University, could be a vital tool in Barack Obama’s push to finish the Afghanistan campaign.

Bob Quinn, vice president of Talon operations at Qinetiq, told Times Online that Dragon Runner, a prototype of which was first used to clear debris at the site of the World Trade Centre, has been improved and developed with input from soldiers in the field.

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“Afghanistan has an estimated 100 million anti-tank and anti-personnel mines and there’s a real need to get our soldiers out of the minefields and use robots,” he said.

“This is a compelling solution to the difficult terrain in Afghanistan. Every time Dragon Runner takes a hit, that means at least one soldier or marine was kept from harm,” Mr Quinn said.

While the Dragon Runner was designed originally for mine clearance and the safe disposal of explosive ordnance, it is expected to have considerable reconnaissance potential.

It can be thrown into a building and send back video footage before soldiers enter, and it can be used in sewers, drainpipes, caves and courtyards to spot motion and overhear conversations.

It also has huge potential for perimeter security, checkpoint security and the inspection of vehicles that may be booby-trapped.

The all-seeing, all-listening Dragon Runner can travel at speeds of up to 20mph, even over rough terrain. It is controlled by a soldier using a laptop at distances of up to 800 metres.

The basic model is 20cm wide, 7.5cm tall and 23cm long (8x3x9 inches), but it can be adapted with various accessories. It can climb stairs, open doors and withstand daily decontamination with steam and chemicals.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, a division of the Ministry of Defence, is running British trials of Dragon Runner, with a view to using it in combat and for security and policing uses.

The robot has also had trials with the Japanese police.

Robotics has proved to be a fast-growing area for Qinetiq, which was spun out of the UK’s defence research labs. Apart from the military applications for its robots, it is finding them increasingly in demand for homeland security and intelligence uses.

Qinetiq will release interim results on Wednesday which are expected to show a strong performance, despite the threat to defence budgets. Analysts are forecasting a 10 per cent improvement in underlying profit to £55 million.

Qinetiq has been pushing heavily into the US defence market in recent years and its revenues from there are expected to climb from just over 40 per cent to 50 per cent.

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