Giant spiderbot: not your average John Deere offering
posted Mar 15th 2005 9:10PM
So we readily admit to having been lulled into complacency by the selection of John Deere farm and lawn equipment
heretofore witnessed, but never again will we write this company off — not after seeing the giant spiderbot walking
forest machine. The Finnish subsidiary of the mighty JD, Plustech, adapts automagically to the forest floor terrain by
making what we can only imagine as deft usage of its six articulated legs. Forward, sideways, diagonal — whatever it
takes, this machine can handle (we hear it can do a mean Boot Scootin' Boogie). Its motions are all
computer-controlled, and — here's the best part — the user interface to the operator is a simple ol' joystick. Alright,
now — who do we have to talk to about developing a simulation for the PSP?
[Via Defensetech]
I would rather call it an antbot because it's got 3 pair of legs, not 4. But it still is a really nice piece of equipment.
Technically, it's an insect :D
Quote:its six massive legs spreads the weight of the machine evenly, the company claims, to minimize any impact on the forest soil.
It cuts down trees like crazy, but chill. the dirt will be fine
Why does that remind of the construction equipment in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice?
Doesn't it technically have 7 limbs, if you include the articulated tree-slicing arm? So its a spider missing a leg.
Or it's an ant missing some "antennas".
Does it also spit web from it's butt for wrapping up those logs?
I can just see a pair of gatling guns and a flame thrower mounted WITH the chainsaw thing at the end.
SWEET.
oh god, that's terrifying!
Rise machine, Rise!
Hey it does look like SHELOB, the big spider from Lord of the Rings. We should call this one SHEBOT!
Hahaha, it's a bit like the Chaos Space Marine Defiler in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War.
http://www.monkeygames.org/images/WH1.gif
Apparently there da bomb when it comes to clearing and making new ski fields and runs down the sides of mountainous during the summer months.
Know a guy that imports them, as well as ski-run groomers and snow machines from Germany/Austria, and yes they look even more impressive in the flesh!
I gettin a real Ghost in the Shell S.A.C "Tachikoma" vibe from this thing.
KANEDAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Sorry, when the Anime juices start flowing
it all goes back to Akira...
This thing is like 10 years old. I wonder what the next NEW thing will be on Engadget???
I want one sans chainsaw.
Didn't Professor Frink have one of these that he took out on a Civil War recreationist battleground?
The big question is, will its evolution go towards Imperial walker, or terminator/
Is it just me, or does this thing look like a six-legged version of an AT-ST from Star Wars? :-)
Here's videos of the thing in action...cool, but knda creepy....
http://www.plustech.fi/WalkingVideo.html
Nothing walks like a Deere?
yea, i saw this on modern marvels years ago
Whoa! I'm at ConExpo in Vegas right now, and there was NOTHING like that in the John Deere section.
There was, however, a networked racing game in the Komatsu area where, instead of racing cars, you raced dump trucks...
A nearly-30-year prediction comes true:
Dean Ing featured a device very much like this in "Malf" a short story in the Analog annual in 1976, and appears in his collections "High Tension," "Firefight 2000" and the updated "Firefight Y2K."
It appeared on the cover of "High Tension" although I haven't been able to find an image on the net.
I don't know abot you, but just looking at that thing creeps the hell out of me.
Can you guys ban that Carmi person (writteninc.blogspot)? It's annoying to see advertising in the comments.
I think they should ban you Usman. People with no life who have nothing better to do but whine like a small child. What's wrong with her putting a link to her blog in her perfectly valid comments, get a life.
"Gotta get a word in here too. I am so awesome."
Yeah, uh-hu, ok, that was a perfectly valid comment to the topic Joey, or should I say ... CARMI!!! dun, dun, dun *drama*
Anyways...
I have to agree with #8, Gazza, I don't just want to see that thing cut down trees, I want to see it blow them to hell. For scientific reasons, of course.