[Infowarrior] - DARPA funding Star Wars "AT-AT" walker tech
Richard Forno
rforno at infowarrior.org
Mon Jul 13 12:09:28 UTC 2009
(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
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