WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A U.S. scientist has created a robot that can find a way to keep working on its own after suffering damage, an invention that could prove useful for robotic space missions in distant planets, according to a study.

Joshua Bongard, a University of Vermont engineer whose research article appeared in Friday's Science Magazine, pulled off one of a homemade robot's four legs for his experiment.

The robot was programed to assess the damage by moving in playful-looking sequences allowing it to find the problem, Bongard said.

Once the damage was identified, the robot created a new way to move without the missing limb, allowing it to continue its mission.

"There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own," Bongard said in a statement.

"The research is essential for NASA who plan to continue using robots for planetary missions. Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human intervention in the event they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth," he said.

Bongard conducted the research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.