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creepy 4-legged robot [Fri, 3-Mar-2006 11:43 PM]
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[music |Joy Division -- She's Lost Control]

Robotic 'pack mule' displays stunning reflexes

A nimble, four-legged robot is so surefooted it can recover its balance even after being given a hefty kick. The machine, which moves like a cross between a goat and a pantomime horse, is being developed as a robotic pack mule for the US military.

"Internal force sensors detect the ground variations and compensate for them," says company president and project manager Marc Raibert. "And BigDog's active balance allows it to maintain stability when we disturb it."

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.

Video.
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Comments:
[User Picture]From: [info]dmlaenker
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 7:49 AM (UTC)

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It's so damn loud....
[User Picture]From: [info]korgmeister
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 11:20 AM (UTC)

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They'll probably fix that later on. This thing's just a proof of concept, I guess. But yeah, sounds like a pissed off hornets nest or something.

But wow, the way it walks just looks so damn bizarre. The way the legs seem to 'point' in opposite directions and how they are always moving to the same cadence creeps me out.
[User Picture]From: [info]mattraibert
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 5:34 AM (UTC)

"opposite directions"

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[User Picture]From: [info]korgmeister
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 6:26 AM (UTC)

Re: "opposite directions"

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Hey wow, you're right!
[User Picture]From: [info]xenogram
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 7:53 AM (UTC)

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But is it better than an actual mule. Or is it a license for military contractors to print money?
[User Picture]From: [info]33mhz
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 8:05 AM (UTC)

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Am I missing something, or did they not already have one?
[User Picture]From: [info]down8
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 4:38 PM (UTC)

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I would say it has obvious advantages to a real mule. It doesn't eat (well not food, which has to be maintained vs. fuel, which just has to be contained). It doesn't crap (no messes, no poop trails to be followed). It won't make noise when it's not moving (won't get ppl sniped via misplased "hee-haw!"). And, lastly, an army of them would freak the hell out of opposing forces (vs. a mule which would undermine our technical prowess).

The real question is: why would the military need a pack mule in 2006+? Wouldn't some sort of anti-grav/hovering vehicle be more useful?

Such a creepy video.

-bZj
[User Picture]From: [info]xenogram
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 9:18 PM (UTC)

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The US army is currently using mules in the mountains of Afganistan.

This would seem to defeat the purpose of using mules at all. It's loud (see above), needs to carry fuel with it (mules can be expected to live off the land at least some of the time), needs the services of robotics engineers to maintain it, needs to be flown in from the United States, is stupider than a mule, carries less, and is much more expensive. All in all it would need an extensive logistical train, and wouldn't be as effective.

You couldn't write comedy like this. Much as I approve of robotics researches getting grants, the suggested practical applications of this thing just seem silly at this point.
From: [info]rodgerd
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 9:46 PM (UTC)

Don't forget...

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...the US millitary has standardised on diesel as a fuel, so a petrol engine renders it incomaptible with the army, anyway.
[User Picture]From: [info]xenogram
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 9:58 PM (UTC)

Re: Don't forget...

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Well, I guess they could switch the engine.

Still, motorbikes would be much more macho.
[User Picture]From: [info]spoonyfork
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 12:26 AM (UTC)

Re: Don't forget...

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Don't forget your 80's math: when you combine motorbikes and macho you get MegaForce.
[User Picture]From: [info]taffer
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 8:13 PM (UTC)

Re: Don't forget...

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Didn't Delta Force have some fancy motorcycles too? And, of course, Chuck Norris.
[User Picture]From: [info]spoonyfork
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 8:40 PM (UTC)

Re: Don't forget...

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Indeed, but the innovative Megaforce (1982) predates The Delta Force (1986) by four years. However your 80's machismo boolean holds true: Chuck Norris > Barry Bostwick.
[User Picture]From: [info]frandroid
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 11:08 AM (UTC)

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Another thing too? It's fucking creepy. Way to freak the locals out with your weird human leg-looking robot...
[User Picture]From: [info]ralesk
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 1:47 PM (UTC)

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Is this Star Wars?
[User Picture]From: [info]spoonyfork
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 1:59 PM (UTC)

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Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them.
[User Picture]From: [info]xenogram
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 9:39 PM (UTC)

Star Wars isn't what it used to be.

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Heh heh heh. Link.

The robots need to be much bigger. And these guys need cessnas.
[User Picture]From: [info]xenogram
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 10:03 PM (UTC)

Dum dum dum, dum de-dum, dum de-dum

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Damn. I so should have used this icon to reply to that comment. How about you just imagine I did, OK?
[User Picture]From: [info]baconmonkey
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 2:04 PM (UTC)

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it looks like 2 people bent at the waits engaging ina shoving match.

also, I think we all know the real reason for this.
http://jwz.livejournal.com/316607.html
[User Picture]From: [info]jered
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 3:52 PM (UTC)

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Boston Dynamics is very cool; they're one of those places that's an academic spin-off that stays academic. (They're from the Leg Lab in the MIT AI Lab.)

Back a few years ago when I still had an 8" blond mohawk, Marc Raibert randomly stopped me and asked if he could take some pictures of me. The reason for this was so they could include me as a model in their DI-Guy scenario product. (See website.)

More than once since then I've been stopped at a party with a story along the lines of, "I was watching this product demo, and then suddenly I saw you taking a hostage and people shooting at you!"
[User Picture]From: [info]tfofurn
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 5:49 PM (UTC)

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Whoa . . . DI-Guy is endorsed by my undergrad advisor. That's almost as creepy as the video. Now I really want to know what direction his research has taken—did he add pedestrians to his driving simulators?
[User Picture]From: [info]kungfupolarbear
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 4:19 PM (UTC)

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That's a bizarro coincidence - I interviewed at that place in August, and saw the robot in person - it was mostly built, and just trudging around the top floor of this office, it was very surreal.
[User Picture]From: [info]wyndebreaker
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 5:47 PM (UTC)

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This kind of stuff isn't that new. Real Time feedboack has been used for things like the classic Inverted Pendulum (WMV video)

Those pant legs sure make it look creepy though.
[User Picture]From: [info]skreidle
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 6:51 PM (UTC)

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There's a long, long way between simple inverted pendulums and 4-jointed-legged stability. :) (Hell, I've programmed a simple inverted pendulum stabilizer.)

Now, an inverted jointed (and freely rotating) pendulum--damn near impossible, but doable.
[User Picture]From: [info]jwz
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 9:22 PM (UTC)

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Wow, that's awesome!
[User Picture]From: [info]romulusnr
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 5:57 PM (UTC)

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YMTS "I for one welcome our untoppleable weight-bearing robotic quadruped overlords".
[User Picture]From: [info]skreidle
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 6:50 PM (UTC)

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Am I the only one suddenly reminded ofM.U.L.E.?
[User Picture]From: [info]wyndebreaker
Sat, 4-Mar-2006 7:02 PM (UTC)

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Nope.Thanks for the link too.
I haven't heard the M.U.L.E. music for 2 decades.
[User Picture]From: [info]mattraibert
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 5:26 AM (UTC)

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Ok, this is kind of surreal.
[User Picture]From: [info]greatbiggary
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 1:08 PM (UTC)

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Wow. Throw a robot jockey on that thing, maybe a shotgun, and make enough for teams, and I give up. I can't think of something more awesome at the moment.

I'm still surprised they didn't saddle a small child on there for sake of science, but it does occur to me that as-is, these would be a great mid-range deterrent to all enemies with bee allergies. I wanna surf one.
[User Picture]From: [info]jeremiahblatz
Sun, 5-Mar-2006 5:46 PM (UTC)

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Cool, but noisy. I guess a benefit of this to those of us who aren't in the killing business is that it could spur the development of fuel cell technology.
[User Picture]From: [info]saveyoursanity
Mon, 6-Mar-2006 7:33 AM (UTC)

Disaster! Your mule has gone crazy and escaped!

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Now all I have to do is catch the mountain wampus so I can buy another one to corner the energy market.