Tech
BigDog Robot Can Hurl Heavy Stones, Climb Rough Terrain [VIDEO]
SWR Staff Writer
First Posted: Mar 03, 2013 09:21 PM EST
Robot technology has been developing at a fast pace and a company, Boston Dynamics, has built a robot that is agile and strong enough to climb rough terrain and even carries and hurls heavy loads.
The robot, named BigDog, has been in development since 2005, and it has now been given stronger limbs that could potentially help troops navigate rough terrains by carrying heavy loads - including artillery, medical supplies and food - for them. Research for the robot has been funded by the Pentagon.
Chris Melhuish, director of Bristol Robotics Laboratory, told the BBC: "I think the potential is enormous -- from pets to robots that are going to help you move your shopping, to a robot on a building site that's moving bricks from one place to another, following a bricklayer around."
Experts are also hopeful that the robot, which is about the size of a mule can be helpful in search-and-rescue missions as well. "(Imagine) setting off these units across a rough terrain if they were looking for a lost child or a walker on a mountainside," Melhuish added.
The video below is the latest from Boston Dynamics of the BigDog robot with a new arm capable of grabbing and throwing objects relatively large distances behind itself.
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First Posted: Mar 03, 2013 09:21 PM EST
Robot technology has been developing at a fast pace and a company, Boston Dynamics, has built a robot that is agile and strong enough to climb rough terrain and even carries and hurls heavy loads.
The robot, named BigDog, has been in development since 2005, and it has now been given stronger limbs that could potentially help troops navigate rough terrains by carrying heavy loads - including artillery, medical supplies and food - for them. Research for the robot has been funded by the Pentagon.
Chris Melhuish, director of Bristol Robotics Laboratory, told the BBC: "I think the potential is enormous -- from pets to robots that are going to help you move your shopping, to a robot on a building site that's moving bricks from one place to another, following a bricklayer around."
Experts are also hopeful that the robot, which is about the size of a mule can be helpful in search-and-rescue missions as well. "(Imagine) setting off these units across a rough terrain if they were looking for a lost child or a walker on a mountainside," Melhuish added.
The video below is the latest from Boston Dynamics of the BigDog robot with a new arm capable of grabbing and throwing objects relatively large distances behind itself.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone