R.C. Anderson
Big Dog is Comin' to Get Ya'!
September 11th 2008 14:00
Boston Dynamics Big Dog Robot In Action - Link
Every day science seems to be racing toward a more complex, more technologically driven future. The current attempts to create a humanoid robot with artificial intelligence capabilities has shown remarkable progress of late. Most people have probably seen Asimov, the walking, psuedo-human robot shown in the car commercials on television. While this is a great advance, Boston Dynamics (BD) has recently contributed something significant as well, if a little different.
As shown on BD's site, linked above, they have created a machine that looks at first glance, to move more like a deer through the forest. This machine moves like a creature that is truly alive and if one didn't know better, it seems to think for itself. It is sturdy, allowing it to withstand a direct kick without falling over, even on ice. It is able to regain its balance, again on ice, by using movements that seem much too real for a mere machine. It can even carry 340 pounds while climbing over tricky piles of simulated rubble. One can't help but imagine a future where an ememy hears nothing and sees nothing until 200 of these machines carrying an automatic weapon comes over the hill allowing soldiers to remain far behind enemy lines and out of harms way. If you really want to amaze yourself, take a look at the other robots BD has engineered.
Funded by DARPA, or the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, this deer-like machine is called "BigDog" and can run at 4 mph and climb a hill of 35 degrees. BigDog is gasoline powered with a built-in computer that controls movements and adjustments. The various sensors and laser gyroscope allow BigDog to walk, avoid pitfalls, decide for itself which path to take (over rubble or around a ditch), and monitors the internal functions. This proves to be one step closer to artificial intelligence and one breakthrough closer to a completely different future for our children.
As shown on BD's site, linked above, they have created a machine that looks at first glance, to move more like a deer through the forest. This machine moves like a creature that is truly alive and if one didn't know better, it seems to think for itself. It is sturdy, allowing it to withstand a direct kick without falling over, even on ice. It is able to regain its balance, again on ice, by using movements that seem much too real for a mere machine. It can even carry 340 pounds while climbing over tricky piles of simulated rubble. One can't help but imagine a future where an ememy hears nothing and sees nothing until 200 of these machines carrying an automatic weapon comes over the hill allowing soldiers to remain far behind enemy lines and out of harms way. If you really want to amaze yourself, take a look at the other robots BD has engineered.
Funded by DARPA, or the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, this deer-like machine is called "BigDog" and can run at 4 mph and climb a hill of 35 degrees. BigDog is gasoline powered with a built-in computer that controls movements and adjustments. The various sensors and laser gyroscope allow BigDog to walk, avoid pitfalls, decide for itself which path to take (over rubble or around a ditch), and monitors the internal functions. This proves to be one step closer to artificial intelligence and one breakthrough closer to a completely different future for our children.
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