Posted by
Cary Wesberry on Saturday, September 06, 2008 3:45:41 PM
Video footage of BigDog, which has been built to carry equipment and march alongside troops in rough terrain such as in Iraq, has attracted millions of viewers.
The robot, which is described as its creators as the "alpha male" of robotic animals, is about the size of a Great Dane. It runs at 4 mph and can hold a 24-stone load. However its makers, Boston Dynamics, have claimed that it will soon be succeeded by an even faster, stronger model.
A computerised brain sits at its core, and controls a small petrol engine which drives its aluminium legs. Each of the legs features three joints that can be repositioned 500 times every second, meaning the robot can even withstand a hefty blow to its body.
Marc Raibert, the president of Boston Dynamics, said: "Internal force sensors detect the ground variations and compensate for them. And BigDog's active balance allows it to maintain stability when we disturb it."
Current models of BigDog are remote-controlled from army bases by commanders. However it is thought that future versions will be built with eye-like sensors that allow it to become "unleashed" by making intelligent decisions about a journey.
The project was sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is responsible for coming up with radical inventions for the military.
Follow the link above to watch the video of this amazing new tool used by our soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere. Four legs and all! Each leg can be repositioned 500 times every second. Pretty stable. I eagerly await the larger, faster, and armed version.