Apr

2

2008

(3) Comments

Freaky Cool Robot Dog

11:16PM by Jim Frost

If you’re like me you’ve been disappointed by the large gulf between the fictional capabilities robots in books and movies and the stilted, boring robots of the real world.  I want Robby The Robot, but I get an robotic vacuum cleaner.  But things they are a changin’.

Check out this video of Boston Dynamics “Big Dog”, a robotic pack-dog.  Once you get past the buzzy sound of the two-stroke engine used to power it, it’s freaky how much like an animal it is.  The robot’s balance, even on ice!, is incredible.  I want one!

I bet it has a hard time picking itself up if it falls down but it is clear that robotic technology is finally getting to the point where it can do really cool things.  It’s not all smoke-and-mirrors either, the development is being done a couple of towns over from where I live, and one of my friends has seen them out playing with it in a parking lot.  He tells me it’s every bit as cool as the video.

I welcome our robotic overlords!

aikyrie said on 04/03/08 12:20PM

inspector gadget said on 04/04/08 05:40PM

khmeresmily said on 04/05/08 05:58PM