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Military's Robotic Pack Mule Gets $32M Boost
coondoggie sends word that Boston Dynamics, maker of the BigDog robot we have been following for a while, has just been awarded a $32M DARPA contract to produce robotic "pack dogs" for the military. "What kind of robot will automatically follow a leader, carry 400 lbs. (182 kg) of military gear, walk 20 miles in all manner of weather, and go 24 hours without refueling? Well, we might soon find out as DARPA has awarded a $32 million contract to build its Legged Squad Support System (LS3) which uses sensors and a GPS to walk along with soldiers across all manner of terrain in any weather without pulling any muscles."
Cast Tensor's Floating Disk!
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
Well, the Afghans have mules, that cost nearly 0 and already pass where Humvee's stop. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2009/0504/p22s01-usmi.html
Well, they should have no problem at all finding the mountain wampus now. I just hope the project doesn't get canceled when they run low on smithore.
That chainsaw motor is frapping loud! Thing needs a Honda Genny. Hopefully some of that money will include powerplant research :) in the parts of the video done in a lab with external power, it's very quiet, only the small servo motors.
But yea, there is a comparison to be made here with off the shelf naturally grown mules. Lots of trade-offs there.
Anyway, if they get John Leeson to do the voice, I'm buying one.
Metal Gear Solid 4, here we come.
If they wanted mules, they'd use mules. Problem is, it's kind of hard to ask your mule to scout ahead 100m, scan territory, and post an "all clear" message back to your squad, while providing live video feeds and fire support (it may even deploy it's own microUAV during maneuvers). Old No. 7 isn't going to do that for you.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
So, that's the plan. The robotic mule will be used to haul basketloads of $1 trillion notes.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Put dual chainsaws on these! Instant surrender.
Unless there are some unforeseen multiple breakthroughs in power plant technology, you are better off with a $3k ATV from outdoor stores.
$32M will net you about 10k units.
Anyway, if they get John Leeson to do the voice, I'm buying one.
Oh, God, no. If I'm running from some fundamentalist Dalek I'm not going to stop and hold the door for some slow-ass bot to trundle through before continuing my frenzied dash just because the public likes it better than they like me!
I'd build some good robot ass too.
A robotic mule? That's ridiculous. Use a real mule. Now a robot donkey, that's different. Could be real hand. Or a bionic burro. An android ass could be the ultimate.
This has been in the pipeline for the last year, and in fact Boston Dynamics had already won the trade study contract for the Legged Squad Support System, the "LS3". This is the next phase, the contract to build prototypes, which will be field tested.
This isn't a research program, as BigDog was. The program is now in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, which builds prototypes of weapon systems. The next step is volume production and deployment.
So far, DARPA isn't discussing armament. Since the USMC is involved in this program, someone is almost certainly looking at that option. It's attractive as a weapons platform. Since it already has full inertial and GPS sensors, a weaponized version could easily have a stabilized gun, like a tank, so it could fire on the move and hit targets. There's also the possibility of integrating the "automated mortar" developed a few years ago. The "automated mortar" concept is that someone up at the sharp end designates a target, the firing data goes back to the gun, and the gun duly clobbers the selected target. That's what mortar squads do now, but lugging the gear around ties up too many people and slows up the operation. The automated mortar was too heavy to lug around on foot, and mounted on a vehicle, it duplicated existing heavier weapons. The LS3 is just the right size to move that thing around.
So there's the LS3, trailing the squad, when someone spots something that needs to be destroyed. They point something at the target, data goes back to the LS3, and the LS3 quickly launches a mortar round, which arcs over the squad and lands on the target. No more target.
And yes, the annoying buzzing sound will go away. That was just the off the shelf powerplant used in the experimental version. The production version will use a small Diesel engine. (The U.S. military is all-Diesel. Gasoline tankers have no place on the modern battlefield.)
Next stop: Slash.
http://myanimelist.net/character/1317/Slash
(hey, I just wrote a post with "Slash Dot", while being gramatically and contextually appropriate. I should be given UberModPoints or something :-D )
$32 million sounds like a pittance to bring something like this to production ready. I'm glad to see something like this getting some of my tax dollars though. Wish more of them went for nuclear/alternative energy though.
Over-the-top Response Guy! Giving "Over-the-Top Responses" since 1970.
it becomes a 400+ pound burden.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Mules are quite intelligent.
I've worked with pack horses, and horses can be incredibly stupid when they've got a pack on their back, but mules are very smart. They're sure-footed
and can sense when the path ahead is too dangerous to travel, and if they don't wanna go, they just won't go.
Mules are intelligent, which means the operator has to build a strong relationship with them, built upon mutual respect and trust. Not that I don't think our soldiers are capable of doing such a thing, but it's something you don't want them doing. Seeing your favorite mules getting blown to bits will be just as traumatic and harmful as seeing your buddies getting killed, maybe even worse, since people often build closer bonds with animals than they do with other humans.
Also, one last thing is that when a mule is feeling cranky and wants to ruin your day, they won't just lash out like a stupid horse. Doc Waters warned us in class that they will target your belt-buckle and wait placidly until you're in range. No laid-back ears, no swishing tail, no sign of anger or aggression. You'll walk up and *KER-POW!*
[End Of Line]
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/75541-army-to-terminate-robotic-vehicle-aircraft-programs
The magic word is "unarmed"
It is a prenunce of book Fahrenheit 451 robotic dog?!
Something this technology can eventually do is help people with disabilities eventually get around without having to use a wheelchair. It would give people with disabilities the freedom to use robotic legs to be more self-reliant. I'm talking climbing stairs, getting in and out of cars without $25,000 modifications, and traversing airports independently. If you think going through TSA is bad now, imagine what they do to you if you need to go through with a metal chair. The problem that many people don't realize is that people with disabilities don't earn enough money to create a market for these things because of widespread discrimination in the job market for people with disabilities. This is one case where capitalism severely fails. We have the technology to very significantly improve the lives of many people with disabilities. In particular, there is a car that people without appropriate upper body strength can drive, but the damned thing costs $127,000. Combine that price tag with widespread job discrimination in even extremely qualified people with disabilities, and we are simply just teasing an already disadvantaged minority of people.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
This has to be refueled every day?
It goes 20 miles in 24 hours--or ~1mph? You could outrun it--and the squad that it's supporting, as they'll be tied to it or it'll get lost.
Longer journeys might make it useful, but so much of it's own carrying capacity would be taken up by it's own fuel demands that it still wouldn't be able to go very far. Plus, it'll be big target--take one of these out, and the squad has to leave behind 400 pounds of gear, if it isn't destroyed already. If it can barely walk, it's not going to be able to take much damage before it's motor control is confused, let alone act correctly to avoid direct fire.
I suppose the best use would be for non-hostile but rugged terrain that's 10 miles from a FOB--so it can take supplies out 10 miles and then 10 miles back to refuel. But isn't that what helicopters are for?
I honestly don't see the use for this with those limitations. If the fuel is preplaced, or if the speed is increased, I suppose. But I don't think either is likely to happen.
--
$tar -xvf
As an added bonus to walking and carrying a load, it makes an extremely loud alarm sound to alert your enemies of your arrival. No more awkward silences when your scout team stumbles into an unprepared enemy ambush -- just send "alert-o-bot" ahead on point so they know you are coming. Don't forget your bright orange hunting vests and flashing reflective headgear and the new "bang flag" bullet system.
1) Go to livestock auction, get donkey -> $100
2) Hire Mr. "Dude, that's pretty cool, but WAY too skin tight" Tron costume guy -> $100 consultation fee
3)Mod donkey to look like robot, plenty of blinkenlights, whirring noises, antennae, Lost in Space" robot voice, etc. Heck, bolt old shotgun on top for "effect". -> $100 thriftstore, dollar store, scrounge in junk gadget drawer, and pawn shop mod materials costs
Total costs= $300
TA DA!
4)Sell to DARPA for..ONE MILLION DOLLAHZ!
Can't we just tape lasers to regular mules?
It all starts innocent and good and all, but after a few years I would ask you if you would come with me if you want to live, reach out my hand and avoid the T800's rage of steel.
One of Sir Terry Pratchetts creations: The Luggage The Luggage is a large chest that follows Rincewind literally wherever he goes- even onto Roundworld, which Rincewind only visited virtually. It is made of sapient pearwood (a magical, intelligent plant which is nearly extinct, impervious to magic, and only grows in a few places outside the Agatean Empire, generally on sites of very old magic). It can produce hundreds of little legs protruding from its underside and can move very fast if the need arises. It has been described as "half suitcase, half homicidal maniac" Its function is to act as both a luggage carrier and bodyguard for its owner, against whom no threatening motion should be made. The Luggage is fiercely defensive of its owner, and is generally homicidal in nature, killing or eating several people and monsters and destroying various ships, walls, doors, geographic features, and other obstacles throughout the series. Its mouth contains "lots of big square teeth, white as sycamore, and a pulsating tongue, red as mahogany." The inside area of The Luggage does not appear to be constrained by its external dimensions, and contains many conveniences: even when it has just devoured a monster, the next time it opens the owner will find his underwear, neatly pressed and smelling slightly of lavender. One of the most notable features of The Luggage is its ability to follow its current owner anywhere, including such places as inside its owner's mind, off the edge of the Disc, Death's Domain, inside the Octavo, the Dungeon Dimensions, and even (literally) to Hell and back. Like all luggage, it's constantly getting lost and having to track its owner down. It has only one way of overcoming obstacles, and that is by simply ignoring them and smashing a hole through them — including a wall to a magic shop that had since relocated to another city by magical means.
Can't we just for once have a story that goes 'The US military has rejected plans for the new flying keyhole penetration nerve gas delivery system. "Use of this device would lead to indiscriminate civilian killings and stain America's proud record of adherence to the laws of war," said Gen Cyrus Bigchin.'
They had this way back in 1983 and all it took to run was a C64!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.U.L.E.
Would something like this nose
http://www.eads.com/1024/en/eads_innovation/Innovation_Articles/security/electronic_sniffer_dog.html
work outdoors in hot dusty Afghanistan or cold mountainous Afghanistan?
It wasn't one fell swoop, a lot of the engineers at Boston Dynamics are from MIT and were doing leg research there.
http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/leglab/
"What kind of robot will automatically follow a leader, carry 400 lbs. (182 kg) of military gear, walk 20 miles in all manner of weather, and go 24 hours without refueling? Well, we might soon find out as DARPA has awarded a $32 million contract to build its Legged Squad Support System (LS3) which uses sensors and a GPS to walk along with soldiers across all manner of terrain in any weather without pulling any muscles."
A camel.
The robot has no feelings and doesn't go into panic when bombs start to fall. It can't catch any diseases (..except that virus from the Independece day). And later it most likely will carry a gun of its own + some sensors to make it a sentry mule in the fighting situations.
Right after the 24 hours are over and the things needs to reload for a couple of years or so. ;)
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.