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Posts Tagged ‘BigDog’

Boston Dynamics is building a bigger, sturdier version of the military’s future trusty companion, and will likely unveil it within a few months. The company’s founder and president, Marc Raibert, shared the LS3 robot's progress Tuesday at a keynote speech at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Apparently LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) has been nicknamed BullDog, according to IEEE Spectrum.

Alas, no fun video yet, as Boston Dynamics is apparently waiting for permission from DARPA to release it.

BullDog, like BigDog, is designed to carry hundreds of pounds of gear for armed forces, ambling over rough terrain and following humans without complaint. The larger version will carry 400 pounds, last 24 hours and carry enough fuel for a 20-mile trek. It will also be able to jump over obstacles, and more easily regain its footing after it falls over. BullDog will also have greater navigational autonomy than BigDog, IEEE says.

The most significant change may be that it’s significantly quieter than BigDog, which is quite obnoxiously, buzzingly loud:

Granted, a prancing, unstoppable four-legged metal beast probably doesn’t need stealth to look awesome and surprise the enemy.

BullDog is a 30-month, $32 million project funded by DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office and the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The project started in early 2010, so we anticipate a full unveiling sometime next year.

Until then, content yourselves with some of BigDog’s greatest adventures.

[IEEE Spectrum]

With its own theme song to boot

Several of them have been chronicled in these pages — click here for a clip of BigDog scrambling to regain its balance after slipping on a patch of ice, for instance. But the below video has the added bonus of a new bluesy theme song, with a beat seemingly written to match BigDog’s jaunty gait.

BigDog uses a system of hyper-responsive hydraulic joints, sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to keep it on its four legs. Boston Dynamics says the creature can run at 4 mph, climb slopes up to 35 degrees, walk across a wide range of terrain, and carry 340 pounds. It’s designed to go wherever humans would go, carrying their load without complaint or the urge to sniff the ground every six inches. It’s funded by DARPA, naturally.

In pup mode, it performs a doglike “let’s-play” stretch; later in its life, it gets down to business, leaping like a greyhound and tromping through the snow like an AT-AT walker. Turn up the sound and check it out.

Ranger, developed by Cornell’s Biorobotics and Locomotion Lab, made 108.5 laps around the running track at roughly 700 feet per lap, logging something like 70,000 steps on a single charge. The untethered ‘bot was controlled remotely by human handlers using a simple toy remote control.

For Ranger, the record-breaking performance spelled redemption. Ranger set a record of 5.6 miles in 2008 only to see Boston Dynamics’ somewhat frightening and much larger BigDog more than double the record shortly thereafter, setting the new standard at 12.8 miles.

But it’s also about energy efficiency; while BigDog can climb hills, stay upright on ice, and terrify children, Ranger walks with an efficient gate that emulates human walking, swinging its legs to take advantage of gravity and forward momentum. An understanding of the biomechanical tricks that allow robots to increase their efficiency should lead not only to breakthroughs in robotic design, but also in human prosthetics and rehabilitation.

The video below is a bit old, but it does show off the smooth gait that is the key to Ranger's walking prowess.

Sustained, self-contained locomotion is a major component in developing an all-in-one humanoid robot. You can read more on the sole American effort to do just that in our August issue cover story here.

[PhysOrg]