@Vagabum
Excuse me? Do all projects somehow need to be equated to Apollo?! "You designed this chair in only a year? That's a fraction of the time of the Apollo program!" Not everything has sky-high ambitions, and 3% of the US GDP to back it. Other than the fact that they both go into space, there is no earthly (or otherwise) reason to compare the two.

icelight

All the rage on Montana farms... but they just call 'em "HELLBots".

huygir

I agree that this is one of, if not the, coolest vehicles that I have ever seen.

The name just bugs me. I can see your point jetdillo, but ATHLETE? Seriously?

I agree with wbremner, they should have called the thing a "Thermonuclear Hex-Extremitied Superior Huge Items Transport."

zenpoet

Cool, but a decade or so out??? That's slower than the original Apollo moon landing program, with only a fraction of the complexity (assuming the vehicle does not handle the space flight itself).

Vagabum

Love the music. "Look at me! I'm Dancing! I'm Dancing"

balloondoggle

@zenpoet: Seriously, every thing in the government is acronyms. I think that is phase one of every project they start.
As a Mechanical Engineer I have to say this is the best robot design I have seen in, um, ever. It folds up small, has tons of redundancy, can roll or walk, the leg design is simple yet strong and light weight, and the motor design that allows for the attachments has limitless possibilities. I'll take 2 please.

fastm3driver

@ZenPoet:

TBPH, there is a bit of an art/game to acronym-ing.
There is an element of PR and salesmanship involved here. A cool, slick acronym can be the icing on a proposal that makes somebody choose to give your project the $50M and somebody else $50K. So if you want The Good Package instead of just a glass of water and a cracker, it's worth spending some time thinking up a cool name for your project, esp. when you have to encapsulate the whole N years of work you've already spent on it in one Powerpoint slide to a bunch of bureaucrats(who happen to be the ones in charge of giving out that $50M).

jetdillo

Autobots.... TRANSFORM!

(Head for the hills folks!)

aec007

Tachikoma?

youngfiles

OMG! They're using Michelin's Tweelo n those legs!

DisposableInterloper

@delithic: don't you mean blend?

scarab

Yes, but does it float?

delithic

ofcourse... they may have said in the video... but I am at work and don't have speakers... will watch again at home...

Mclarenlover69

I wonder what kind of power source this thing uses... does it drag solar panels along behind it or something when it is out on other planets devoid of a trusty electrical plug?

Mclarenlover69

All robots should come with "How to defeat" instructions printed clearly on at least one side! It's all about safety people.

DeadWriter

@wbremner: The guy in the floppy hat in the video - he's the one coming up with names. He has to be.

wbremner

I'll take two!

Cerixus

@zenpoet: I vote they have a list of neat-sounding names and then build the gadget around the acronym. SHUTTLE = Space Huge Utility Transporter Trending Large Explosions

wbremner

@zenpoet: Agreed, they name the device to fit the acronym. Terrain and Terrestrial are essentially the same word but they both need to be there to make the acronym work.

Even with the redundant name this thing is way cool.

rednecktech

Soon they'll have running robots,

Then jumping robots, with CLAWS!!!

Robo-raptors are just around the corner folks.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

Tolgak

That is extraordinary!

I WANT ONE!

strider_mt2k

You jokers don't know what you're talking about. That thing is amazing. Just consider all the time those engineers have put into that vehicle and what it can do for the space program.

Oh, I'm sorry, I must be addressing the ignorant people out there who don't want to broaden their horizons and learn new and fascinating things.

drwedge

Is there a specialist somewhere who creates acronyms for devices? "Here you go Bob, this is a list off all the stuff our thing does, and some of the design specifications. See what you can come up with."

Is there any other way that "hex-limbed" needs to be a part of the name, other than so you can call the thing ATHLETE? "Ham-like" must not have worked with the marketing department.

zenpoet

That's the scariest thing I have ever seen, we truly are doomed.

james-42

Wow...that Vote for Giz post went down fast....

MJDeviant

hmmm, looks too flimsy to me. Why dont they build honking big robots or a jawa sandcrawler? They would only weigh one sixth on the moon. Just burn up half the worlds resources to get them there, a small price to pay for 'progress' :-)

MeesterBell

They finally invented a robot that fits properly on all those old wargame hex maps I have in the basement.

nospamsam

@DeadWriter: LOL

Idk, i didnt think it looked too stable with a massive capsule on its back

tin