Xero993
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DARPA's Amazing Robot Pack Mule Keeps its Balance On Ice
Two years ago we showed you Boston Dynamics' incredible BigDog—one of the world's most ambitious legged robots—being developed for DARPA and the U.S. Army. With its advanced system of hyper-responsive hydraulic joints and a suite of sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes, the BigDog's most stunning achievement is it's ability to walk, climb and maintain its balance on diverse terrain, even after slipping on ice or receiving a kick to one side. All while carrying several hundreds of pounds of supplies on its "back."
3.20.2008 at 09:51am - Comment by Xero993Remember folks that this is just a protoype and that DARPA is funding it so yes there will be a military one (although it may not resemble it in ways) but no there won't be a 200ft tall version for whatever reason you have for it. I also recommend you see Boston Dynamics' other 3 robots LittleDog, RISE and HRex. BigDog runs on gasoline at the moment although it will no doubt have an electric motor (even if it's secondary) when it's finalised. At the moment details are hard to get (i'm sure popsci would have similar problems although they are a business) when i tried emailing them they said they're currently flooded with questions and queries and that they'd get back to me. My question was how long does the gasoline last with it / how fuel efficient is compared to wheeled devices.
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December 2009: Best of What's New
In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.
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