Robot "dog" crosses obstacles, lacks head
By Donald Melanson 
posted Sep 20th 2007 4:53PM
posted Sep 20th 2007 4:53PM
To be honest, we're not sure if Boston Dynamics decision to not include a head on its so-called "LittleDog" makes the bot more or less creepy, but it sure is pretty darn impressive either way. It's claim to fame, and the result of $1.5 million in funding from DARPA, is its ability to cross harsh terrain with relative ease, relying on an array of sensors that measure joint angles, body orientation, and foot/ground contact. As you can see in the video after the break, the whole system appears to work remarkably well, with the bot only encountering a few minor hiccups during its rock-climbing adventure. No word on any future plans for the bot just yet, but with DARPA behind it, we're guessing it'll be attracting some slightly different owners than its robot canine companions.
[Via SlashGear]
Update: We overlooked this at first, but it turns out LittleDog isn't Boston Dynamics' first foray into headless robot dogs, with the company's BigDog also able to climb hills, and carry a 120 pound load to boot.
[Via SlashGear]
Update: We overlooked this at first, but it turns out LittleDog isn't Boston Dynamics' first foray into headless robot dogs, with the company's BigDog also able to climb hills, and carry a 120 pound load to boot.
when he had the first major stumble towards the end, did anyone else think (or say) to themselves "awwwwwwwww", like you would if a puppy had done the same thing?
No.
no i actually laughed a bit.
At first I was terrified, I mean, the biggest advantage we had over robots so far was our ability to walk well on rough terrain, now what do we have? The robot revolution just got another decade closer.
Then it tripped, now I want one as a pet.
Looks more like a headcrab than a dog to me.
http://images.wikia.com/half-life/en/images/thumb/5/54/Headcrab.jpg/200px-Headcrab.jpg
Nah it looks like a stalker dog,straight from nova prospekt.
Headcrabs don't have integrated handles, but the extremities sure do remind me of a headcrab.
"Headcrabs don't have integrated handles"
Oh, that's because you still haven't seen HL3's _portable_ Headcrabs
Yeow, that is impressive ... and, yes, a wee bit spooky.
Oops, almost forgot...
I, for one, welcome our new cute little rock climbing headcrab look-alike dogbot overlords.
FUCK OFF
Wow! This looks to be a huge step forward. It even looked like how a puppy would go about it. I'm not quite sure how it knows how far to raise its legs. I assume it averages the leg height based on accidental hits against the rock in previous steps? Even a puppy wouldn't look down or back to see how high to raise its legs.
IT IS HOUNDEYE from HALF LIFE
http://www.igniq.com/images/houndeye080904.jpg
Those antennae look familiar - does that thing have a Linksys router sticking out of its rear end?
This is scary looking but seems to do the job just fine! it did the second obstacle course with ease.
Shouldn't they have given it better footing? That thing was falling all over the place. I think if they gave it some feet it would do much better. Very Impressive still though.
you know what else lacks head..
You!
hmm.. come to think of it, I'm lacking a little head too! More head for me!
As I watched that I wonder how far off we are from getting something along those lines to move as gracefully as a dog. I know the finer points are usually much harder to iron out in the algorithms but that was eerie. I can easily see in 10 years having a robot of that sort be as graceful as a dog in most aspects.
"It's claim to fame, and the result of $1.5 million in funding from DARPA...[]"
My dog can do better than this robot, and I'll give it away for just $1mln.
Yet, I very much doubt your dog would be in the least useful to a military agency.
Why not just use a helicopter or other flying machine, or a track based vehicle?
Because legs are the future!
Tracks are very prone to failure as a rule (not saying legs aren't). Flying machines don't collect soil samples so well ;)
The idea here is that the machine will have it's own ability to find it's own way to a given destination. No more long delays from humans millions of clicks away trying to figure a path from a crappy jpeg.
To me looks more like a cockroach minus a few legs!
I was thinking the same thing.
You know, some dogs really look like that.
Kinda looks like a Pug, with a handle.
A PortaPug
Why can I one day see this thing gracefully scaling a cliff wall to kill me and steal my identity?
I thought it's movement was similar to bats when they are walking around blindly.
They should have called it "Little Turkey"
Look Out Freeman! A Robotic Head Crab!
Freak !!!
Sincerely,
Sparky the Aibo
I think it would have done a lot better if it had proper feet. What sort of robot would walk around on pointy stubs? It's sort of ridiculous. Nice soft rubbery feet would have made it more stable and not slip around so much.
Perhaps. But the feet then must be articulated and tracked . I see feet as being a hindrance- just one more piece to get in the way, caught in terrain, etc. If they ever go for bipedalism, they will be needed, but think of the feet of most dogs - they are pretty small, in comparison to the rest of the leg and body.
Very cool! Especially the second wireless version towards the end.
Hey, look!
It's a headcrab!
Nah just the credit bureaus adding nasty stuff to your file so you'll pay them hundreds of dollars to keep that from happening or people from stealing your identity. The money starts to add up when they scare so many people into paying them to protect us from their bogus errors.