Wednesday, April 14, 2010
BigDog (Blog Post #10)
BigDog is a stable four-legged robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station. BigDog is 3 feet long, stands 2.5 feet tall, and weighs 240 pounds, about the size of a small donkey. It is able to travel on difficult terrain at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h), carrying 340 pounds, and can climb a 35 degree incline. Motion is controlled by an on-board computer that receives input from the robot's sensors. Navigation and balance are also managed by the control system.
The BigDog project is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), hoping that it will be able to serve as a pack mule to follow soldiers on land too rough for vehicles. Instead of wheels or treads, BigDog uses four legs for movement, allowing it to move across almost any surface that would defeat wheels. The legs contain a variety of sensors, including joint position and ground contact. BigDog also also contains a stereo vision system.
BigDog was featured in episodes of Daily Planet, Web Junk 20 and Hungry Beast, and in articles in New Scientist, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and The Wall Street Journal.
On March 18, 2008, Boston Dynamics released video footage of a new generation of BigDog. The footage shows BigDog's ability to walk on icy terrain and recover its balance when kicked from the side.
You can see the amazing video, Here
Now, as you may have noticed, BigDog does not sound like a normal robot would. This is because it's engine is powered with Gasoline.
For More information, Please visit Boston Dynamics's Online Webpage here
Follow this link to an interesting video CLICK ME
To Have a look at more BigDog videos, visit the Youtube Channel at This Beautiful Link
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2 comments:
Hmmm this is really weird... I'm not sure i like robotish things lol nice post
Very cool! (I liked the people dressed up as this creature!)
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