[Infowarrior] - DARPA funding Star Wars "AT-AT" walker tech

[Richard Forno]

(cue Darth Vader's theme.......---rf)

BigDog - The Most Advanced Rough-Terrain Robot on Earth

BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics robots. It is a rough- 
terrain robot that walks, runs, climbs and carries heavy loads. BigDog  
is powered by an engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system.  
BigDog has four legs that are articulated like an animal’s, with  
compliant elements to absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to  
the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule; about 3  
feet long, 2.5 feet tall and weighs 240 lbs.
BigDog's on-board computer controls locomotion, servos the legs and  
handles a variety of sensors. BigDog’s control system keeps it  
balanced, navigates, and regulates its energetics as conditions vary.  
Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground  
contact, ground load, a gyroscope, LIDAR and a stereo vision system.  
Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the  
hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine functions, battery charge  
and others.

In separate tests BigDog runs at 4 mph, climbs slopes up to 35  
degrees, walks across rubble, climbs a muddy hiking trail, walks in  
snow and water, and carries a 340 lb load. BigDog set a world's record  
for legged vehicles by traveling 12.8 miles without stopping or  
refueling.

The ultimate goal for BigDog is to develop a robot that can go  
anywhere people and animals can go. The program is funded by the  
Tactical Technology Office at DARPA.

To download a video of BigDog in action, click here. More BigDog  
videos are available at www.YouTube.com/BostonDynamics.

http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_bigdog.html