The Big Dog- Quadruped Robot

**CT209** · 03-20-08, 06:03 AM

Boston Dynamics keeps working on their BigDog quadruped robot, which will probably grow to be the future AT-AT of the Pentagon. Its evolution since the last time we saw it is nothing sort of mindblowing, and a bit spooky.
It looks like an actual biological quadruped. Seeing it climb through rubble, snow, jumping over obstacles like a wild goat, and saving a near-fall on iced ground at the last second (fast forward to the middle of the video) defies belief. It feels so "animal" that I almost feel bad when they hit it to demonstrate how it regains balance on its own.
The new version of the robot can now carry 340 pounds, which is almost triple the previous weight. It looks to me that that $10 million funding they got from Darpa has been put to good use.

Watch the video.

http://gizmodo.com/368651/new-video-...ing-its-spooky

**Shoestring** · 03-20-08, 06:09 AM

Okay, so what would they us it for?

**CT209** · 03-20-08, 06:46 AM

I told my wife it'll replace horses. I said that right after she finished mucking the stalls and feeding. I think she considered it for a second or two.

Actually, you could mount a SAW aimed-by-video camera on one of them and it'd make a great tool to use for assaulting a fortified position. Might even save a Marine or two. That'd make it worth the price.