Just when I stopped having nightmares about BigDog, the freaky quadruped robot that will become a soldier’s best friend one day. Boston Dynamics’ founder Marc Raibert just sent me this music video showing the best moments of its evolution. Great.
Raibert was the MIT professor who founded the MIT Leg Lab and then Boston Dynamics in the early ’90s. He and his team developed BigDog for the US military, a biological-like hopping quadruped that can climb through rubble, snow, ice, dirt and jump pover obstacles like a demonic goat from hell. When it gets fully developed, BigDog will carry equipment for US infantry troops.
This video shows the evolution of this amazing machine. No matter how many times I see it in action, even it failures, it never ceases to amaze me. I’m just sad they didn’t include footage of BigDog’s special-needs cousin, though. [Thanks Marc!]
Richard Clement
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 8:23 AMIf the military need something to carry gear they could always use – oh I dunno – a MULE! Its less likely to break down and its probably easier to feed a mule than charge a robot in the field…
This reminds me of the urban legend of the development of the space pen vs the Russians using a pencil…
Sadly yet another case of US taxpayers having been separated from their hard earned by the US Military Industrial Complex!
That said – its very cool and VERY creepy…
Stew
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:18 AMThere was good reason for developing a space pen.
Using a pencils in Zero G causes graphite dust to float around, possibly getting into instrumentation and causing short circuits, or getting into eyes causing irritation/conjunctivitis.
red t-rex
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 3:28 PMAnimals can be a little unpredictable even with training. They can decide to not cooperate or feel fear when faced with loud noises like explosions and gunfire. Bigdog would also most likely be able to take a few bullets without failing unless they happen to hit crucial systems. A single bullet in an animal and it is usually history.
Just hope they have managed to reduce the awful noise the ealier versions made. The enemy would be able to hear them coming from miles away.
Stew
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:40 AMDamn that thing’s creepy.
And why do I feel sorry for it when I see people trying to kick it over? I think my brain sees it as an actual animal.
PsychoSmiley
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 2:26 PMNot sure of the exact words for it but I would say it’s somewhat the uncanny valley effect. It looks like something that should be normal but is wrong enough for us to be uncomfortable with it.
Regarding kicking I would also say that due to elements of the above, we see qualities of life in it due to four legs and such and when unbalanced it attempts to correct itself in a somewhat realistic and expected fashion. It appears ‘alive’ and we are unhappy at it’s mistreatment.
I also feel that same so it’s quite confusing in that regard. It’s unsettling visually but I feel sorry for ‘it’ when somebody is trying to ‘hurt’ it.