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Posts Tagged ‘Big Dog’

Boston Dynamics’ Petman robot mimics human walking, wears sneakers

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Boston Dynamics, the Waltham-based maker of funny Internet videos starring robots the company incidentally develops, has released footage of its Petman robot. If you, like me, think it’s weird that the robot is wearing sneakers, it’s not. The robot is designed to test chemical protection uniforms for soldiers, so presumably the finished robot will be wearing a full uniform.

And this being a Boston Dynamics video, obviously the robot gets shoved, to little effect.

After the jump, watch the Big Dog take a romantic stroll on a beach in Thailand. Seriously. (more…)

Tags: Big Dog, Boston Dynamics, Petman
Posted in Defense, robotics | No Comments »

MIT helicopter robot scans surroundings as it flies

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Nick Roy and the Robust Robotics Group at MIT CSAIL has developed a helicopter robot called the RANGE (Robust, Aerial, Navigation in GPS-denied Environments) that models its surroundings as it flies, using 3-D cameras and laser scanners.

In what can only be taken as a direct challenge to its landlocked cousin, Boston Dynamics’ kick-resistant Big Dog, the video includes a scene where the robot corrects itself after being poked by a two-by-four.

Tags: Big Dog, Boston Dynamics, CSAIL, micro air vehicles, MIT, Nick Roy, RANGE, Robust Robotics Group
Posted in Education & Training, Massachusetts, robotics | No Comments »

MIT’s “Stickybot” gecko robot will not sell you car insurance

Friday, September 25th, 2009

A robotic gecko has been added to the local robotic zoo that already includes a tuna, a dog, a smaller dog, a lobster, a lamprey, a clam, and a whole school of fish.

The MIT Biomimetics Lab’s “Stickybot“ has footpads that mimic a gecko’s, allowing it to scale walls. The robot could be used in military surveillance and search and rescue.

The biomimetics lab is also working on a robot inspired by the cheetah, according to MIT. Yikes.

Tags: Big Dog, Ghost Swimmer, Little Dog, MIT, MIT Biomimetic Laboratory, RoboClam, RoboLamprey, RoboLobster, RoboTuna, Stickybot
Posted in Defense, Education & Training, Massachusetts, robotics | No Comments »

Boston Dynamics’ Little Dog robot: Just like the Big Dog, except …

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Boston Dynamics, the Waltham-based maker of military robots that are incidentally quite entertaining, should really look into monetizing its test videos. Gizmodo posts videos of the Little Dog, the Scrappy-Doo of the headless robotic dog set.

Designed by Katie Byl of Harvard’s Microrobotics (typing that word almost shut my brain down) Lab, which has also developed robotic flies.

Boston Dynamics has the Big Dog and the Precision Urban Hopper in the can, and announced in April it’s developing a humanoid robot. This should be good.

After the jump, watch another video of the Little Dog operate in view of an organic version of a robotic dog made from biological materials, who does not seem happy about the whole situation. (more…)

Tags: Big Dog, Boston Dynamics, Gizmodo, Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory, Katie Byl, Little Dog, Petman, Precision Urban Hopper
Posted in Defense, Education & Training, Hardware, Massachusetts, Public Policy, robotics | No Comments »

Boston Dynamics’ Precision Urban Hopper robot hops precisely

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Boston Dynamics, maker of the creepy-yet-mesmerizing YouTube sensation, the Big Dog robot, is developing the next version of a shoebox-sized jumping robot for the military — the Precision Urban Hopper.

Precision Urban Hopper The Waltham-based company is working under a DARPA-funded grant from the Sandia National Laboratories., which developed the robot. The Hopper platform is designed to navigate autonomously on its four wheels and use its one leg to jump up to 25 feet in the air, according to Sandia.

As flying robots start to pop up with increasing frequency, Sandia says hopping is a more fuel-efficient means of getting over obstacles up to about 33 feet high.

Tags: Big Dog, Boston Dynamics, DARPA, Precision Urban Hopper, Sandia National Laboratories
Posted in Defense, Hardware, Massachusetts, Public Policy, Software, robotics | No Comments »

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