Do a youtube search for big dog robot. They've been working on this thing and it's kin for well more than 2 years now, It's Darpa related not military controlled, it's done by Boston University, I'm sure it wasn't cheap but the military is seriously interested in this stuff for uneven terrain troop equipment carriers.
The first time I saw a video of Big Dog I swore it was an internet prank and it was just two guys in a suit until I was all the way through it.
Do a youtube search for big dog robot. They've been working on this thing and it's kin for well more than 2 years now, It's Darpa related not military controlled, it's done by Boston University, I'm sure it wasn't cheap but the military is seriously interested in this stuff for uneven terrain troop equipment carriers.
The first time I saw a video of Big Dog I swore it was an internet prank and it was just two guys in a suit until I was all the way through it.
I saw the horse thing when it came out and, to be honest, it didn't impress me very much. Probably because it seemed really shakey and not to have a real use the way that it was. Plus...I could have sworn I remember it being powered by an engine of some sorts lol.
The main problem is not mechanics and the logic of the design, but a battery power. I read somewhere that human muscles store 7 times more energy than the best batteries. Not to mention real mule's muscles. Unless they use nuclear power this will never be able to follow troops for more than 5 miles.
probes' main problem has always been about power. Solar, organic fuel, and so on. I read in Real Robots UK, there's a slugbot which picks up slugs, stores 'em in a organic fuel chamber to convert the slugs into methane gas and use it to refuel the robot itself. Sounds pretty funny to me.
probes' main problem has always been about power. Solar, organic fuel, and so on. I read in Real Robots UK, there's a slugbot which picks up slugs, stores 'em in a organic fuel chamber to convert the slugs into methane gas and use it to refuel the robot itself. Sounds pretty funny to me.