The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth
BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight.
BigDog has an on-board computer that controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors. BigDog’s control system manages the dynamics of its behavior to keep it balanced, steer, navigate, and regulate energetics as conditions vary. Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a laser gyroscope, and a stereo vision system. Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine temperature, rpm, battery charge and others.
In separate trials, BigDog runs at 4 mph, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees, walks across rubble, and carries a 340 lb load.
BigDog is being developed by Boston Dynamics with the goal of creating robots that have rough-terrain mobility that can take them anywhere on Earth that people and animals can go. The program is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).
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Coiner of Yo Tony, Stratamaro, & "Won't Be Down For Breakfast"
pretty amazeing, I almost thought it was 2 people trying to carry that payload. Now if they could just make it so it doesn't sound like a swarm of killer bees.
I am so impressed. The robotics of leg motion and creature balance/locomotion is incredibly difficult. Looks so simple but nature is very sophisticated and trying to mimic it with a machine is a mind bender.
Legs are far superior for mobility. Once that technology is mastered the sky is the limit for all-terrain robots. DARPA + that = some scary future military stuff.
That was seriously cool. The recovery on ice when it slipped and when it was kicked, and the jump over the section at the end...just wow. Kinda scary we're getting this far, makes you think of Terminator lol.
This is amazing..............
