Not Pop Culture, Awesome Nonetheless

Alright, I know this post is not about pop culture, but Friday is Miscellaneous day and I saw a video today that really intrigued me. Also, it's my blog and I can do what I want! Check it out:



The sound it makes is kinda freaky, but this robot is awesome! I had never heard of Boston Dynamics, the company that has designed this incredible beast, but I hope they keep up the good work. According to Wikipedia (every bloggers' best friend) "BigDog is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the hopes that it will be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for vehicles." Yeah, I could see that.

The BigDog is amazing! It looks like it can climb over just about anything, can be kicked without falling over, and did you see it on the ice? Incredible! I have never seen a robot with the kind of balance and movement abilities that BigDog has. My initial thought when watching the video (besides "holy crap, that's a robot, not two freaky people trying to pull a prank") was that BigDog would be great for planetary exploration. However, DARPA is funding the design of this robot for carrying equipment for soldiers in places where wheeled vehicles are unable to go. A couple of things stand out to me this being the case (and I know this is just a prototype, and will likely never be used in this way, so don't give me to hard a time in the comments):

1. That noise is a little unnerving. I mean, I could see it scaring the crap out of some terrorists at a camp in Afghanistan or something, but it also seems like they might be able to hear it pretty easily. It could also annoy the crap out of the soldiers with it.
2. What makes this better than a horse? I mean, I'm all for awesome robotics, but BigDog has got to cost millions of dollars. Horses can probably move just about as well and are a heck of a lot cheaper. BigDog may be a little less fragile (although that could be debatable), but have you priced high end electronics lately? I could almost guarantee you that horses would be cheaper to acquire and maintain.

That being said, I think BigDog is awesome! I love it and hope this kind of technological advancement keeps moving forward.

Also, I am planning a 25 mile backpacking trip at the end of the summer, so I want one! Seriously, I think I can put up with the annoying noise and I'm lazy, so it would be great to have BigDog along to carry all of my stuff.

Have a great weekend everyone!