21 June 08

Big Dog

It's a bit past its interwebs shelf-life, but footage of the quadruped robot known as Big Dog is worth a look if you missed it the first time.

Creepy? A little. Especially when a human bully kicks the poor thing and it rights itself and soldiers on. But I like this robot because it makes the future seem that much closer. Like when they put Big Dog on a football field...I didn't know quadruped robots could run that fast.

What does this thing do that a well-trained mule cannot? Nothing, unless you count delivering explosive payload. No one wants to see a mule blown up, so Big Dog has already cornered a niche.