Foo - Potential Killer Robot

http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

Just, wow... it can run, jump, climb through rocks, walk on ice, you can't kick it over, and it can cary 400 lbs. Watch the video. It's just.... wow... gotta get one to ride a bike...

Don't miss the video of the Big Dog in beta testing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJZVZFRFJc

For some reason, I find trained humans with weapons much more dangerous.

Why does the robot not want me to have a future?

I remember watching the demo videos for that a while ago. I thought it was supposed to be an all-terrain equipment carrier. Better to have the robot carry all the support equipment than having each individual soldier carry 60lbs of equipment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYptK21vAgQ&NR=1

the little brother. This one actually gives me the creeps...

A robot did this to my arm. Literally. Straight down to the tendon.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4889/dsc02721zw3.jpg

that little one reminds me of Screamers... phew...

I'm waiting till I can have a plutonium powered rat-thing from snow crash.

Looks like they're making progress on the two leg version.

http://www.youtube.com/BostonDynamics#p/a

Looks like they're making progress on the two leg version.

http://www.youtube.com/BostonDynamics#p/a

now that is freaky.

Those things disturb me so much, I'd actually try to destroy one if I ever saw it. A bolero with wire cabling would take one down.

Those things disturb me so much, I'd actually try to destroy one if I ever saw it. A bolero with wire cabling would take one down.

precisely.....probably followed by explosives.

None of it matters, until they can come up with a better power source. If it can carry 100 lbs., 80 will be the batteries.

I think we're better off training combat donkeys.

Ah, so my plan for world domination through the use of the donkey punch might finally see fruition!

None of it matters, until they can come up with a better power source. If it can carry 100 lbs., 80 will be the batteries.

I think we're better off training combat donkeys.

Turn your speakers on when you watch the video. You'll figure it out. The BigDog has a 15 hp gasoline engine, which is about 28 times more power than whoever it was that "cranked it up to 400 W." The energy density of gasoline is a couple orders of magnitude higher than that of batteries. I wouldn't be surprised if it got around 5-10 mpg.

The criticism I would make is that the reason DARPA is funding this project is to eventually reach the point of a quadruped robot that has better mobility than a wheeled vehicle can achieve. The videos don't show it navigating anything an ATV couldn't handle, although the sheep like jump over an obstacle was pretty impressive. Several of the DARPA Grand Challenge autonomous vehicles were, in fact, based on ATV's.

Donkeys definitely have better mobility and lower cost, but they take a little more attention, even when they're not being used, and their autonomy is very limited.

Hmm...maybe I can get DARPA money to develop autonomous guidance systems for donkeys.

true, the russians already had this one figured out.

http://thxforthe.info/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/bear-cavalry.jpg