Boston Dynamics - BigDog

Are you as mad as Michael Bay that last summer's big blockbuster movie didn't come out on Blu-ray? Maybe you are so sick of watching Transformers that you want your own robot with a chain gun mounted to its back so you can automate the destruction of your HD DVD movie collection. There might be a few of you who just appreciate the finer points in life (or movies) where Terminators and other such robots fighting mercilessly against each other. If so, then Boston Dynamics might have a solution for you.

Enter BigDog: YouTube Link

While Boston Dynamics might sound like the latest speaker or A/V hardware manufacturer, they are actually an engineering company that started in 1992 as a spin off from research being done at M.I.T. (of course) specializing in robotics and human simulation, Boston Dynamics has created several very interesting projects from the BigDog robot to DI-Guy human simulation software.

The BigDog project is being funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and surely has military application in mind. Hey, I just don't picture chain guns mounted to everything, like pop machines, bicycle racks, Michael Bay's SUV. Wait, he might actually have that... In any case, give a big geek cheer to the newest four legged pack mule who can climb slopes, recover from a good kick in the side, maneuver over ice like a graceful deer, climb over rubble, and even take a flying leap.

Of course, we're all holding out for a full-sized AT-AT walker that we can ride in - except this one's going to have plenty of neck armor and the ability to avoid getting its legs tangled up. What? We just believe in learning from the mistakes of others...

Be sure to check out the Boston Dynamics web site to see what other kinds of interesting robots our US tax dollars are being spent on. http://www.bostondynamics.com.