Robotics, Transhumanism, Mind Control

LittleDog Walking Robot Presages the Future

Walking robots are making rapid progress, as illustrated by the amazing LittleDog, which is a follow-up to BigDog.

May 24, 2010

guardian.co.uk - LittleDog, from Boston Dynamics, shows the amazing developments in four-legged locomotion that hint at a future where robots will be able to replace both humans and animals for many tasks. It shows remarkable stability for a four-legged creature (having six leg makes stability easier because you can stand on three legs while moving three legs).

Each of LittleDog's legs has three electric motors, which gives it about 30 minutes of operation using lithium polymer batteries. A built-in "PC level" computer does the sensing, and controls the motors.



LittleDog's home page says:

"LittleDog is used at MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, USC, Univ. Pennsylvania and IHMC as part of a DARPA-funded program on advanced robotics."

It was DARPA, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, that developed the Internet. DARPA is also funding research into driverless vehicles and prosthetics (neurally-controlled arms and hands), among other things.

Boston Dynamics has already made an impact with BigDog, a much larger four-legged robot. The aim is to develop a Legged Squad Support System (PDF) that could carry equipment for soldiers fighting in difficult terrain -- essentially, robot mules. BigDog has also been "weaponized" by the addition of bull-style horns. One idea is that it could be used for crowd control.