Robot "dog" crosses obstacles, lacks head

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.

[fightorflight @ Sep 20th 2007 5:06PM]

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?

[Paris @ Sep 20th 2007 6:10PM]

No.

[Nathaniel C @ Sep 20th 2007 7:00PM]

no i actually laughed a bit.

[David @ Sep 20th 2007 11:44PM]

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.

[Elliott @ Sep 20th 2007 5:08PM]

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

[McGinley @ Sep 20th 2007 5:19PM]

Nah it looks like a stalker dog,straight from nova prospekt.

[malaeum @ Sep 20th 2007 5:40PM]

Headcrabs don't have integrated handles, but the extremities sure do remind me of a headcrab.

[giuliop @ Sep 21st 2007 9:24AM]

"Headcrabs don't have integrated handles"

Oh, that's because you still haven't seen HL3's _portable_ Headcrabs

[Ozbone @ Sep 20th 2007 5:10PM]

Yeow, that is impressive ... and, yes, a wee bit spooky.

[Elliott @ Sep 20th 2007 5:14PM]

Oops, almost forgot...

I, for one, welcome our new cute little rock climbing headcrab look-alike dogbot overlords.

[MARSHAK @ Sep 21st 2007 1:29AM]

FUCK OFF

[David @ Sep 20th 2007 5:17PM]

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.

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 20th 2007 8:15PM]

IT IS HOUNDEYE from HALF LIFE

http://www.igniq.com/images/houndeye080904.jpg

[turrican @ Sep 20th 2007 5:24PM]

Those antennae look familiar - does that thing have a Linksys router sticking out of its rear end?

[Kade Miller @ Sep 20th 2007 5:26PM]

This is scary looking but seems to do the job just fine! it did the second obstacle course with ease.

[noxious @ Sep 20th 2007 5:28PM]

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.

[enjoi @ Sep 20th 2007 5:32PM]

you know what else lacks head..

[Tachikomatic @ Sep 20th 2007 5:39PM]

You!

[brendanheyu @ Sep 20th 2007 10:36PM]

hmm.. come to think of it, I'm lacking a little head too! More head for me!

[malaeum @ Sep 20th 2007 5:39PM]

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.

[Dias @ Sep 20th 2007 5:57PM]

"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.

[giuliop @ Sep 21st 2007 9:41AM]

Yet, I very much doubt your dog would be in the least useful to a military agency.

[Wonderkid @ Sep 20th 2007 6:13PM]

Why not just use a helicopter or other flying machine, or a track based vehicle?

[Andrew @ Sep 20th 2007 6:38PM]

Because legs are the future!

[brendanheyu @ Sep 20th 2007 10:36PM]

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.

[Jacques @ Sep 20th 2007 6:39PM]

To me looks more like a cockroach minus a few legs!

[sherryfriedrichs @ Sep 23rd 2007 2:14AM]

I was thinking the same thing.

[Tony @ Sep 20th 2007 6:56PM]

You know, some dogs really look like that.

[jbcaro @ Sep 20th 2007 7:22PM]

Kinda looks like a Pug, with a handle.

A PortaPug

[Rock Stone @ Sep 20th 2007 8:10PM]

I thought it's movement was similar to bats when they are walking around blindly.

[TheUndertow @ Sep 20th 2007 9:06PM]

They should have called it "Little Turkey"

[pika @ Sep 20th 2007 9:14PM]

Look Out Freeman! A Robotic Head Crab!

[Sparky @ Sep 20th 2007 11:57PM]

Freak !!!

Sincerely,
Sparky the Aibo

[wrabbit @ Sep 21st 2007 9:42AM]

Very cool! Especially the second wireless version towards the end.

[Emma @ Sep 21st 2007 12:33PM]

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.

[Don @ Sep 21st 2007 12:46PM]

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.

[MarkZ @ Sep 22nd 2007 1:48PM]

Why can I one day see this thing gracefully scaling a cliff wall to kill me and steal my identity?

[sherryfriedrichs @ Sep 23rd 2007 2:17AM]

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.

[Vekter @ Sep 26th 2007 3:08PM]

Hey, look!

It's a headcrab!