BigDog, The Robotic Mule
By David Ponce
All the cool kids these days are quickly realizing that carrying their own backpacks to school is so very last week. That’s why you’re bound to start seeing this robotic mule popping up in a neighborhood near you anytime now.
Named “BigDog”, and developed by American company Boston Dynamics for military purposes, this bot is billed as “the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth”. Not only is it able to carry up to 88lbs, it can do so in perfect stability. Advanced internal force sensors give it the ability to stay up, even when kicked. Company president and project manager Marc Raibert says
the latest version of BigDog can handle slopes of 35? ? a steeper gradient than one in two. The hydraulics are driven by a two-stroke single-cylinder petrol engine, and it can carry over 40 kg, about 30% of its bodyweight. The robot can follow a simple path on its own, or can be remotely controlled.
Cool as this story sounds, you won’t get the full idea unless you come inside, and check out the groovy video.
[BigDog, The Robotic Mule] VIA [TechEBlog]
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