Posted on 03/08/2006 3:33:49 AM PST by prisoner6
BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight.
BigDog has an on-board computer that controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors. BigDog’s control system manages the dynamics of its behavior to keep it balanced, steer, navigate, and regulate energetics as conditions vary. Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a laser gyroscope, and a stereo vision system. Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine temperature, rpm, battery charge and others.
So far, BigDog has trotted at 3.3 mph, climbed a 35 degree slope and carried a 120 lb load.
BigDog is being developed by Boston Dynamics with help from Foster Miller, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.Development is funded by the DARPA Defense Sciences Office.
Disturbing yes - but I for one welcome our new robotic overlords. On the website you find three similar projects.
prisoner6
That's just plain freaky. Didn't realize robotics were that far along.
is it coming or going?
Here's a different article from New Scientist about Big Dog. Mounted laser turrets should be the next feature added!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1590295/posts
E-M-P....the 30-06 of tomorrow.
http://www.bdi.com/content/sec.php?section=RHex
Put a big 50 cal machine gun on it.
Or how about some white phosphorous grenade launchers.
That should break-up a few al-qaeda cells.
Then we need to get things like the Steyr AMR in the hands of the general public over the howls of phoney outrage from the gun haters. BTW Steyr has gotten the velocity of the round from this thing over 5000 fps now. Also look at this from our Russkie friends.
I saw this a few days ago. I thought it looked like a couple of frat guys trying to steal a keg.
winner! thanks I needed a good laugh!
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