"BigDog" Walks on any Terrain, Shockingly Creepy Gait (Video)

"BigDog" Walks on any Terrain, Shockingly Creepy Gait (Video)
2008 03 19

From an enthusiast's point of view, the Japanese and Koreans have seemed to dominate the modern robotics field in recent times. Honda's ASIMO is world famous, both for walking up, and falling down, flights of stairs, and both nations have displayed the results of highly active academic programs tasked with building increasingly lifelike robots designed to help the elderly and teach children in schools. Such programs are great for public relations, and are key to easing the public's fears of a future in which robots will be ubiquitous and in constant interaction with humans.

America isn't ignoring the developing robotics revolution, but as one might guess, our creations aren't the type that'll be playing with toddlers and finding the TV remote for grandma. Indeed, ours are being designed for fields quite removed from playgrounds, which is to say, the fields of battle. DARPA has been leveraging a serious budget to develop a wide range of technologies that will become part of the Army's Future Combat System, and today, new footage of the product of a $10-million R&D grant and some genius engineering by Boston Dynamics has been released.

The company's BigDog robot is a quadruped platform designed to help ground infantry cover longer distances by carrying a stockpile of their gear, thereby lightening the 60- to 90-pound loads soldiers currently carry on their backs. What makes the BigDog unique, and also quite frightening, is Boston Dynamic's application of biologically-inspired movement, balance, and obstacle avoidance systems that, working together, make the BigDog appear horrifying lifelike as it walks over just about any terrain a human on foot could potentially tackle.

Nothing, it would seem, can unbalance the BigDog, be it a solid kick to the side or a slippery patch of ice or snow. The mannerisms of the BigDog AI's movements in stumbling and then recovering could well be those of a deer's natural instincts, which is a pretty serious advance in relation to the usual robot attitude of falling over and then continuing to try to walk why lying face down.

The newest BigDog prototype shown in the video is significantly improved over previous versions and is now capable of carrying up to 340-pounds of equipment. The bot has also gained the ability to jump, which is also pretty scary looking. There's no word on when final products could be fielded, but some Future Combat Systems are expected to enter service as early as 2012. We expect a Fox special, "When Good BigDogs Go Bad" shortly thereafter, followed by the Great Robot Wars of 2023.

Article From: http://gear.ign.com/articles/860/860123p1.html

Share |

Latest News from our Front Page

"Stockholm’s not burning"
2013 05 25
Video here: ctvnews.com With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local’s Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm’s not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion. Day five into the Stockholm riots and the world, as viewed from our Stockholm office, has gone crazy. The UK and the US have issued travel warnings for ...

Britain’s MI5 Connection to Woolwich Slasher Michael Adebolajo
2013 05 25
What a difference a day makes… People are still in a state of shock and disbelief following a recent attack branded as a ‘terrorist” event by the UK media establishment and echoed in political corridors. It seemed so random… Aside form appearing random, the brutal Woolwich attack this past week was one of the most bizarre and strangest of its kind yet, ...

Somali reporter: Swedish journalists are more dangerous than al-Shabab
2013 05 25
This article is translated by google and slightly improved for clarification. This short story (the tip of the iceberg) is a great example of the media climate in Sweden and the lack of proper Journalism. An extremely dangerous one sided view is constantly presented by the government subsidized media. Swedish journalists and their lies are more dangerous than the cruel Somali terrorist ...

Germany’s Merkel shrugs aside new book about communist-era past, says she never hid anything
2013 05 25
Chancellor Angela Merkel has shrugged aside a book that suggests she may have been closer to East Germany’s communist system than previously thought, saying she’s never hidden anything. The 58-year-old Merkel grew up in East Germany and entered politics as communism crumbled in 1989. It’s long been known that, like many, she joined the communist youth organization. She has said she ...

‘Lack of public debate on immigration caused Stockholm riots’
2013 05 25
Mishra Mrutyuanjai raises some points that we discussed with Mikael Jalving about in our Red Ice Radio program, in January earlier this year. Sweden should put its political correctness aside and start an open debate on immigration as it’s the only way to avoid a repeat of the Stockholm riots, Mishra Mrutyuanjai, Swedish Democrats movement member, told RT. Stockholm is reeling as ...

More News »