BigDog

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A pair of BigDog robots
A pair of BigDog robots

BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.[1]

BigDog is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the hopes that it will be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for conventional vehicles. Instead of wheels or treads, BigDog uses four legs for movement, allowing it to move across surfaces which would defeat wheels. The legs feature a variety of sensors in them, including joint position and ground contact. BigDog also features a laser gyroscope and a stereo vision system.

BigDog is one meter long, 0.7 meters tall, and weighs 75 kilograms, around the size of a small mule. It is currently capable of traversing difficult terrain at 5.3 kilometers per hour (3.3 mph), carry a 154 kilogram load (340 pounds), and climb a 35 degree incline.[1] Locomotion is controlled by an on board computer that receives input from the various sensors featured on the BigDog. Navigation and balance are also managed by the control system.

BigDog was featured in an episode of Web Junk 20, as well as articles in New Scientist, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and the Wall Street Journal, as well as several YouTube videos.[2]

On March 18 2008, Boston Dynamics released video footage of a new generation BigDog. The footage shows the BigDog's ability to walk on icy terrain and recover its balance when kicked from the side.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Boston Dynamics. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  2. ^ Youtube search results for "BigDog". Retrieved on 2007-10-14.

[edit] External links