Jack, from what I've read and reported about Boston Robotics' pack animal creations, they're not designed to carry anything as heavy as a human. For that, you want the BEAR: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=247687
I didn't see anything about payload in there, Even with the noise leve, this could be useful for getting items from one area to another where air transport isn't really available, but they're not trying to sneak up on anybody either. In addition, I wondering if the payload is such that it could be adapted as an emergency rescue vehicle. If a small group was camped out someplace with one of these and somebody got injured, could they climb on in and get carried out while the rest of the team does whatever they need to do (e.g., shoot back)?
Your statement made me think of the advances this technology will bring to prosthetic limbs.
Cheetah's fast, to be sure, but putting Mr. Bolt against it isn't a fair race. Let's give MABEL from U of M a chance to practice, then have her compete against him.
This device definitely will have a usefulness for troops; its agility is amazing. I leave you with a sobriquet on the use of mules in war: http://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/pyle/waskow.html
It's still a prototype -- it'll get quieter before it sees any deployment in the field. And even at its current noise level, it could still be useful. There are a lot of situations where stealth is less important than fatigue and logistics: long road marches, street patrols similar to what US troops were doing in Bagdhad until recently, etc. Even a noisy pack mule could help troops carry more with less fatigue, and if the troops hit a point where they think the mule's noise becomes a liability, they still have the option to stash the mule and carry the gear themselves.
Here's a 2008 video of Big Dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww In comparison, the LS3 (which Boston Dynamics calls the AlphaDog), sounds a lot noisier.
I agree that the machine itself is very cool. You would think, though, that the noise issue would be a top priority. From the video, it sounds like it could use a little WD40. :)
Seriously, though, if this robot is 10x quieter than previous iterations, how loud were its predecessors?
I have to agree with you, Jenn, on the whole issue of being loud and attracting attention. But what really stood out to me is how much this robot looks and moves like some sort of bull or similar type of animal. Just watching the leg movements and its path out of the bushes had me waiting for some sort of predator animal to come out of nowhere and bounce. The biomickry in terms of stature and movement was really quite compelling.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
