Boston Dynamics Unveils AlphaDog Quadruped Robot

An anonymous reader writes "Boston Dynamics, the company that created the BigDog quadruped robot, has unveiled a new, bigger system called AlphaDog. AlphaDog, a DARPA-sponsored project, can carry a payload of 400 pounds for up to 20 miles without having to refuel, and it's also much quieter than BigDog. The robot is designed to assist humans in carrying heavy equipment over rough terrain, and Boston Dynamics' schedule has the first walk-out of AlphaDog taking place sometime in 2012, when U.S. Marines will begin to put the robot to the test for real."

Comments

Jesus fucking christ.

[durrr]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies. I assure you it will discourage warfare like nothing else.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[durrr]

Also, while mutilating the enemies, have it play sounds that can be enocuntered in everyday life such as car horns, default ring signals, doorbells or top 10 pop hits to ensure the survivors are properly reminded in their post-conflict life.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[Narishma]

Already done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMVg5ixhd0&feature=player_detailpage#t=54s

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[WuphonsReach]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies. I assure you it will discourage warfare like nothing else.

Beware the battle cattle. -- Tabitha

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[Anonymous Coward]

Imagine the insane licensing fees if you were to play top 10 pop hits to random large audiences like that. The salivation wouldn't be from the AlphaDog; it would be from the RIAA as they raked in the fees from the Defense Department.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[PPH]

Meh. That's rush hour in Mumbai. Pedestrians haven't gone anywhere.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[daem0n1x]

Why would the god-damned thing carry four hundred British Monetary Units twenty nautical miles into the sea? The notes get ruined by the salt water. Unless it carries coins...

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[ColdWetDog]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies. I assure you it will discourage warfare like nothing else.

Not a problem. I've developed the Robotic Dog equivalent of a milk bone. Here Fido!

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[Ihmhi]

I don't know what it is, but BigDog and AlphaDog unsettle me. They look like something out of Silent Hill. Maybe it's because their gait seems very unnatural, like a film that's run at double speed.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[idontgno]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies.

A robotic DevilDog? The Marines will love it.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[RoccamOccam]

To me the unsettling part is that the "knee" joints on the back legs point in the opposite direction from the front legs. It's like Xavier: Renegade Angel.

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[DigiShaman]

+1 Evil

Re:Jesus fucking christ.

[Bucky24]

That's how actual dog legs function

Mental effect alone...

[digitalsolo]

The sheer act of seeing things like that running around on the battlefield is likely to be pretty unsettling for enemy combatants. One step closer to mechwarrior.

Re:Mental effect alone...

[xMrFishx]

Now all it needs are glowing red eyes, teeth and a flame thrower to top it off. Watch out for the next prototype called DevilDog or HellHound.
P.S. Excellent work.

I am terrified

[Sockatume]

Watching it maintain its stance after being shoved the second time was un-nervingly reminiscent of a spider, but watching it get back up from its side was the icing on the terror-cake. I've already had awful visions of Asimo indefatigably running me down, now that thing's going to be pracing through my nightmares.

Re:I am terrified

[Anonymous Coward]

The next evolutionary step is Asimo riding the AphaDog into battle.

Re:I am terrified

[Sockatume]

You finally chop off all of AlphaDog's legs with a fire axe, then it splits open like some horrible pinata and Asimo steps out and strangles you to death.

why not a mule

[Anonymous Coward]

A mule is a quadruped and can carry 200 pounds a lot farther than 20 miles. It has much better AI, it refuels with easily obtained biofuel, and in a crunch you can eat it!

Re:why not a mule

[Anonymous Coward]

Ok Mr. Smartypants, how are they going to spend 10 million dollars on one of these "mules"?

Re:why not a mule

[Sockatume]

On the other hand it won't walk continuously without rest or on-hand guidance towards an arbitrarily chosen remote destination, and it's not going to make your enemies crap themselves in horror.

Re:why not a mule

[Gideon Wells]

1) Better AI for now.
2) Relatively easy biofuel depending on the region, but this uses none when not in use. You always feed a mule.
3) Less of a PR fiasco if a robot dies compared to an animal.

Re:why not a mule

[cycleflight]

Championship mule breeding rights?

Re:why not a mule

[cygnwolf]

I'm sure some scientist could justify a breeding program...

Re:why not a mule

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

There has been interesting work done on insects attempting to combine the advantages of the two...

Remote control cyborg beetles have electrode implants in strategic parts of their nervous system, allowing you to steer them around at your command, while taking advantage of the fact that bugs beat the hell out of microbots at flight performance.

A large mammal would presumably be more complicated; but(in principle), one could graft computerized guidance into something like a mule, allowing it to be steered through preset waypoints or command signals; but preserving its biological advantages....

Re:why not a mule

[Yvan256]

Put freakin' lasers on its head?

Mule is the new land-shark!

Re:why not a mule

[MetalliQaZ]

A mule is a quadruped and can carry 200 pounds a lot farther than 20 miles. It has much better AI, it refuels with easily obtained biofuel, and in a crunch you can eat it!

Came here to say this.

I would add that a mule is nearly silent, which comes in handy when people with guns are looking for you.

Re:why not a mule

[Xiver]

Good luck in getting a mule to sprint into combat.

I just put "stubborn as a" into google and what do you think popped up?
http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=stubborn+as+a+

Re:why not a mule

[danlip]

But a mule is thousands of times cheaper (don't actually know how much the military pays for one of these, but I would guess it's in the millions, plus R&D costs). And providing fuel for the war in remote parts of Afghanistan is a huge cost, in money and lives (lots of troops die protecting fuel convoys). So it's really rather ridiculous to try to replace a mule with this thing, especially for a nation that is spiraling into financial disaster.

Re:why not a mule

[Anonymous Coward]

But a mule is thousands of times cheaper (don't actually know how much the military pays for one of these, but I would guess it's in the millions, plus R&D costs). And providing fuel for the war in remote parts of Afghanistan is a huge cost, in money and lives (lots of troops die protecting fuel convoys). So it's really rather ridiculous to try to replace a mule with this thing, especially for a nation that is spiraling into financial disaster.

You can't mount big guns on the next generation of mules and remote control them from an island in the Indian Ocean

Re:why not a mule

[ColdWetDog]

But a mule is thousands of times cheaper (don't actually know how much the military pays for one of these, but I would guess it's in the millions, plus R&D costs). And providing fuel for the war in remote parts of Afghanistan is a huge cost, in money and lives (lots of troops die protecting fuel convoys). So it's really rather ridiculous to try to replace a mule with this thing, especially for a nation that is spiraling into financial disaster.

Ever worked with a mule? There is a reason that the phrase "mule headed" exists. It takes a skilled handler to get mules to go where you want them to. In xstan, granted, there are probably lots of people with mule herding experience. When we invade Canada, not so much. Shoot at the mule, the mule goes the other way. Mule food is expensive and bulky and they don't do well on a diet of JP8. Want to drop a dozen mules out of a C17? Go ahead. We'll watch.

So there are reasons for Alpha dog, aside from the techno cool factor. Horses for courses, I suppose.....

Re:why not a mule

[Anonymous Coward]

And can a mule walk around on Mars or the Moon just as cheaply? How about dragging wounded out of a battlefield covered in nerve gas or simply full of noise and sound?

There are many advantages automata have over living creatures Not to mention that poo-pooing this kind of technology in its infancy is the most certain way to prevent developing even better stuff.

Re:why not a mule

[TheLink]

There may be roads on your way to work. But not all wars are fought on roads and flat terrain.

Why do you think the dept of defense wants stuff like this robot?

Re:why not a mule

[king neckbeard]

Psychological warfare, perhaps?

Re:why not a mule

[treerex]

It can be disabled with a single shot. It doesn't even need to be a particularly well placed shot.

Re:why not a mule

[Patch86]

1) Easily disabled (even a small glancing blow will be enough to make it unusable)
2) Will run away at the first sign of violence ( ... "Hey, all my survival gear is getting away!").
3) Hard to train (stubborn as a what now?)
4) Noisy (I mean, silent as the grave, right up until the point it starts braying like a car horn)

Or perhaps the most important point- AlphaDog is designed by a robotics company, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Researching and developing complex new technologies is kind of their thing. DARPA are unlikely to invest in a mule-breeding programme.

Re:why not a mule

[Skywolfblue]

You can't mount big guns on the next generation of mules and remote control them from an island in the Indian Ocean

Pfffffft. Lack of vision.

A true evil villain would mount big guns on mules anyway. Now to design a railgun that can fit in the saddle...

Re:why not a mule

[amicusNYCL]

Strap an injured soldier onto a mule, tell it to return to base, and see what happens.

Or

Load up a mule with ammo and medical supplies, tell it to head to the unit 9 miles out into the desert, and see what happens.

Re:why not a mule

[Unequivocal]

Actually you might be surprised on that last point. I was briefed a while back on some non-classified work DARPA is funding and some amazingly low tech and interesting ideas are in the pipe. During that meeting if they had mentioned a live mule research program, it wouldn't have seemed out of place.

Re:why not a mule

[hexagonc]

It also doesn't frighten easily from gunfire or explosions, can be mounted with guns, doesn't take years of training to handle (once the software is developed), can (eventually) be mass produced much faster, can be hauled and stored easier, won't arouse the heckles of PETA, can be remotely controlled without putting a human handler in danger, is a stepping stone toward more advanced robotics . . ., etc

Re:why not a mule

[cavePrisoner]

The nice thing about a robot is that you can bring it with you in a truck and not worry too much about it for months on end. It will sit patiently, consuming nothing, until the one time you want to use it. ie. we need to move this equipment to this observation post halfway up a mountain where no roads exist. Oh, and EVERYTHING needs to be in place in a single night. When the mission is done, the robots can sit patiently till the next time.

Mules are good if you are moving supplies day in day out. But if you only have to do it once or twice a year, robots are very useful and don't waste your time and attention when you have a battle to fight. And the fuel one of these uses is minuscule compared to everything else happening. There are no power stations. Just generators. And LOTS of big trucks.

As for cost, its blood or money. This thing allows for more flexible missions. Which means we can act like light infantry but still have the firepower of a heavy force. That means the Taliban won't know where we'll pop up. But yes, wars are expensive...

Re:why not a mule

[427_ci_505]

Not with that attitude, anyways.

Re:why not a mule

[bigredpaul]

In the Soviet Union, the mule craps your pants.

Copyright and other IP mumbo-jumbo... what else?

[denzacar]

Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment vehicle (MULE) IS cancelled but Lockheed Martin probably still owns the name, the ideas and a bunch of other legalish things related to any army robots called mules.

Put a saddle on it

[koan]

I wanna ride it up to the store, maybe slap an animatronic wolf head with glowing heat seeking eyes too.

Re: much quieter?

[MancunianMaskMan]

this one's not powered by the 2-stroke either, but it hangs from cables on the ceiling. The outdoor version would have to have some sort of engine, for BigDog that was a 2-stroke which is of course completely peerless for power-to-weight ratio, for the engine itself, and energy-to-weight ratio, because of the high energy density of petroleum fuel. Pity the damn things are noisy, and dirty.

Let's call it GammaDog.

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[CubicleView]

True, and when you're not using it you can just shut it down to save fuel.

Try self righting in terrain

[gatkinso]

While rolling to center will work on a cement floor, I'd like to see that trick done on a hillside in the weeds and trees.

Re:Try self righting in terrain

[Hadlock]

Considering the current alternative is a radio flyer wagon, one could argue this is better than no self-righting option. Off-road jeeps aren't terribly easy to right, but they weigh considerably more, and don't have a self-righting mode.
 
I can see dog and cow-sized versions of this on the battlefield in 10 years, but I think the ultimate goal is to put a .50 cal mounted machine gun on one of these things, or some sort of light artillery, so you can remotely place light artillery on top of a rocky hill, far from convenient roads. Self righting a walking vehicle designed to replace a 12,000 lb towed artillery gun/trailer and the truck needed to tow it, in the field - baking in a self-righting system this early in the design phase seems like a good idea, no matter how crude. You can always expand later. Many insects in my garden don't have a self-righting mechanism, so one might say we're already one-upping nature.

Re:Try self righting in terrain

[Anonymous Coward]

About the only post so far which actually makes sense. The military plans on using these things to deliver ammo and pull the wounded on a stretcher from the front line. Talk is abound about .50 call support, light mortars, and possibly even something larger light a 20mm or 30mm cannon. Lots have dumbly stated a horse or a mule is a replacement for this but it absolutely is not. When you can give a GPS coordinate to a horse or a mule, have it travel that 8-10 miles in and 8-10 miles out, after delivering cargo; while using the most direct route, let us know. If you have such a animal who can breed other such animals, you'll be extremely wealthy. Especially when you can finally breed one which will accurate pose as a platform for weaponry such as .50 cal MG, light mortars, and even light cannons. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; which includes carrying extra ammo without carrying fuel and water for a large animal.

All of which are why, of some 50 posts so far, yours in the only intelligent post thus far. Damn slashdot has fallen. That makes the signal to noise ratio something like 2%. Ugh.

Mountable non-lethal suggestions?

[Commontwist]

I vote for a quad flash system that combines the power of 1,000 pro cameras to absolutely ruin the night vision of people walking around at night for hundreds of meters in all directions. Non-lethal, silent, and the soldiers can co-ordinate to look away/close eyes better than terrorists who HAVE to watch the men they are about to attack/ambush at night. Maybe even an invisible, infra red only version mixed in?

Nothing says 'run away' like a weird looking robot thing flashing the light of a hundred suns into your night eyes/night vision goggles. (What would it take to burn out sensors on those kinds of goggles anyway?)

 

Re:Lets see it fall over and get up

[BetaDays]

Yes I know in the video it shows it getting back on it's feet I meant out in the field after it has been fully loaded and being top heavy, since it looks like the weights are on the side of it to simulate it carrying a load keeping the center of gravity low on it where I figure the packages would be on top making it a bit more top heavy. Although I guess if need be they could unpack, get it on it's feet and then repack it.

Watch the movie ... turn down your sound

[OeLeWaPpErKe]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies. I assure you it will discourage warfare like nothing else.

Sounds like that's exactly what they're doing.

Re:It's quiet because power delivery is via tether

[Yvan256]

What if a big truck with batteries followed AlphaDog around with a tether?

Re:Lets see it fall over and get up

[Yvan256]

You can see that at the end of the video.

Re: much quieter?

[LifesABeach]

I was thinking of calling it "Rover", but Tata Motors might become angry, oh my.

Mud and water

[elgeeko.com]

Anyone think this thing can stand up to a fire hose? It might be 'water-tight' but I have a feeling it can't pull itself out of 6 inches of mud...yet. Spry that sucker down and get the ground nice and muddy. How about a 4 foot wide crevice with a piece of plywood and dirt on top? Right now these things are creepy, but not the kind of thing I'd be intimidated by in a battle situation... but that day is coming fast.

Re:Mud and water

[djrogers]

This is designed to augment a fire team - i.e. 4 armed men, with 100lb backpacks, on foot. I think if a guy with a firehose gets close enough to the squad to hose this guy off, either the squad or he will have more pressing issues to worry about... As for the mud, the previous version did very well in snow tests - I'd imagine mud will get worked out eventually as well.

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[synapse7]

But with these you won't have animal rights activists hounding you when you install horns and send waves charging the enemy.

Noise?

[Bleek II]

So the article says it's much quieter than the bigdog system but in the video the alphadog appears to be hydraulically tethered. I don't think the on board engine is running.

Re:Noise?

[elgeeko.com]

I think they made a mistake. Wait until we see field trials on this thing, I bet it has the same freaky buzzing noise that Big Dog has when it isn't hooked up to all the wires. Go watch some of the old Big Dog videos when it's in the lab, it's just as quiet. Personally I think the buzzing noise is the most intimidating part of it. Imagine a couple hundred of those thing marching at you making that sound, the noise alone would freak the enemy and send shivers down their spines.

Re:debt

[pushing-robot]

Haven't you heard? We're planning to save the economy by mining crystite ore from the planet Irata.

AT-AT

[airfoobar]

The Galactic Empire called, they wanted to send that after George Lucas for his crimes against Star Wars.

Jump, doggie, jump!

[sgt scrub]

That's not a dog. That's a burro. Dogs can jump. But seriously. Really cool bot. I hope they can program it to jump.

Re:Jump, doggie, jump!

[professionalfurryele]

BigDog can already jump, end of the video on this page has an example:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1168947/unbelievable_boston_dynamics_bigdog_march_08/

Re:Jump, doggie, jump!

[sgt scrub]

sweet!

Here's a pic:

[LanMan04]

Ask and ye shall receive:

http://postimage.org/image/ock2ro5g/

Although I think that's the older BigDog model.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMVg5ixhd0&feature=player_detailpage#t=54s

Re: much quieter?

[tomhudson]

Forget the 4-legged version. Move on to the 6-legged version - better all-terrain mobility, if it loses a leg, it can keep going (there's a reason the Mars Rovers have 6 wheels), the ability to "crab" or move sideways a lot easier ...

And the name? - call it the "SCORPION" and load it up with Stinger and Scorpion missiles.

Or make a nano version, mass-produce them, and call them FIRE-ANT.

FIRE-ANT: "Thanks to its' on-board 'Chemical Rapid Analysis of Phermones Package' (C.R.A.P.P.), FIRE-ANT can literally "smell" whether someone smells like the enemy, signal other FIRE-ANTS, and within seconds, thousands swarm the target, each taking a bite, converting it to fuel, then taking another bite, until only the bare skeleton remains."

For domestic ops, "C.R.A.P.P.Y" can also be programmed to target "dirty hippy commie", "democrat", "urban poor", and "trailer trash", from a library of over 1,209 different profiles.

Re:debt

[couchslug]

Clearly we should not do war research because there is no payoff.

Likewise we should boycott its products, so GTFO the internet.

RPG

[Colin Smith]

Put horns on it, produce 2000 of it and have them charge the enemies. I assure you it will discourage warfare like nothing else.

Yeah cos they'll just line up for you. An RPG is much cheaper.
 

Re:RPG

[king neckbeard]

You are missing the point. A video of a single one without horns is deeply unsettling for a lot of people. Seeing a massive horde of them in real life would do lasting psychological damage regardless of actual combat utility.

Re: much quieter?

[Ihmhi]

A lot of that noise seems to be from the tethers that are carrying power to the device. It's obviously hooked up to a scaffold with a track or pulley system to support all of the wires.

Dog and Pony Show

[fhage]

Seriously. Puns intended.

Nice tech, but some of their claims are a bit of a stretch. It looks like a film demonstrating milestones to a sponsor. It's power comes via en umbilical cable and it rights itself on a level floor using plywood cams to do the roll and stop.

When compared to a donkey or mule, 4 legged robots have a long way to go. I live in Colorado and have done pack trips with animals. Here's what comes to mind:

• Animals are cheaper and can self replicate.
• Animals walk almost silently. Anything that stomps can be heard for miles.
• Animals can run pretty darn fast, and can cut and quickly dodge.
• Animals auto detect nearby predators and have more sensitive hearing.
• Animals usually can auto-refuel themselves using locally available materials.
• Animals can be a real buddy.
• Animals blend in a bit more in a rural setting.
• You can eat your buddy if you are starving.

Re:Dog and Pony Show

[TheDarkMaster]

The Brazilian army uses buffalos to this job, where you can not drive a truck through.

Re:Dog and Pony Show

[Yetihehe]

When compared to a donkey or mule, 4 legged robots have a long way to go. I live in Colorado and have done pack trips with animals. Here's what comes to mind:

- Animals are cheaper and can self replicate.
BigDogs won't be working day and night, animals need food (and water) constantly. They can self replicate, but it takes awfully long and takes animal out of service.
- Animals walk almost silently. Anything that stomps can be heard for miles.
Donkeys also make sounds. They are pretty noisy too.
- Animals can run pretty darn fast, and can cut and quickly dodge.
Try to convince a donkey to run 20 miles.
- Animals auto detect nearby predators and have more sensitive hearing.
BigDog doesn't need to fear predators, also it won't try to escape at first sight of a predator. It can run predators over.
- Animals usually can auto-refuel themselves using locally available materials.
Not in deserts.
- Animals can be a real buddy.
Soldiers also bond with their bomb disposing robots and give them names.
- Animals blend in a bit more in a rural setting.
With 200lb of payload? You can just cover bigdog with some masking, it won't move and can look like a pile of hay.
- You can eat your buddy if you are starving.
You can lit a fire using fuel from bigdog and eat locally available materials.

Re:Dog and Pony Show

[Carnildo]

Animals are cheaper and can self replicate.

Horse production has a four-year lead time. To put this in perspective, if the United States had started ramping up horse breeding for a growing Army logistics need with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the first horses would be available about four months after Japan surrendered.

Re:Lets see it fall over and get up

[ThePeices]

No, you would pack it like a donkey, and have pillion bags on the sides to carry the bulk of the weight. If you could lead it like an animal, then it could be very useful in rough terrain.

Immature vs. the competition's quiet carrier

[Zemplar]

Check out the competitors quiet quadruped carrier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFPYPJ_6OH0

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[Zemplar]

Great idea. Let's just mount horns on the animal rights activists and send them towards the enemy!

Once the enemy deals with them, we can use the horses.

We do use mules and horses

[Quila]

Special Forces in remote areas of Afghanistan for example.

non-sequitor

[bill_mcgonigle]

Clearly we should not do war research because there is no payoff.

AlphaDog would make a great wilderness rescue tool, or even a recreational vehicle. But our society values killing brown people in far-off lands who supposedly hate us for our freedoms more than rescuing hurt hikers.

The money funneled to DARPA could be redirected to these sorts of efforts for peaceful work today. An amount on the order of the entire personal income tax goes to the military industrial complex - imagine if people kept that money how much would be available for philanthropy.

Re:non-sequitor

[DarwinSurvivor]

Do you have any idea how much military-funding-created stuff is now available to the public? Who do you think paid for the development of GPS, Jeeps, jet engines, the INTERNET? The way a lot of high-tech stuff is built is that the military pays for it, has exclusive access to it for a while (5-10 years for instance), then makes it available to the public. The military is also one HELL of a QA department!

Re:non-sequitor

[bill_mcgonigle]

Do you have any idea how much military-funding-created stuff is now available to the public?

Do you know how much richer society would be if WWII had actually ended? Rich societies invent things.

That's where your flying cars are. ~

Re:non-sequitor

[DarwinSurvivor]

Flying cars will never happen until either
A) The average person becomes competent enough to drive one safely. Currently LAND vehicles are too much for most people...
B) We develop AI advanced enough to make up for A)

Ball Bearings

[ThatsNotPudding]

I would love to see how this thing would react to someone laying down a massive carpet of small ball bearings in front of it. The sound of Fred Flintstone running in mid-air comes to mind.

It stood up

[RCC42]

Did you guys see that? When it rolled over and stood up? Man it kind of freaked me out a little how good it was at that, considering how godamn heavy it must be.

Re:It stood up

[Taibhsear]

I thought it was kind of chunky just walking normally and might be supported by the umbilicus but once the guy starting shoving it sideways I got chills. It recovered just like an animal would. Very impressive.

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[dasunt]

It can go for miles, can refuel automatically off of native vegetation, can be taught new commands in the battlefield, and is self-replicating.

It's called a HORSE!

Well, it may be cheaper. It could be faster. But horses require a lot of care and can easily be injured or killed.

Re:Very nice

[DarwinSurvivor]

With a little more work, this thing could probably enter a house, go up a flight of stairs and deliver life-saving medical supplies to soldiers that are pinned down. It can also (as shown in this and previous videos) climb over large logs, jump over stuff (or the lack of stuff such as a crevasse) and handle very rough terrain such as a pile of broken cinder blocks.

Re: much quieter?

[fifedrum]

I want one to ride! Give it a small four stroke engine, maybe a 900CC car engine, and away you go!

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[CubicleView]

So you reckon native vegetation is free and plentiful in Iraq for example? Have you considered the cost of "vegitation" between missions etc etc the list goes on.

Serious case of Uncanny Valley

[PPalmgren]

The leg movement and stability control on that thing is unnerving. I think its a case of movement being the cause of an uncanny valley rather than appearance.

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[Carnildo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_World_War_I

Re:It's quiet because power delivery is via tether

[scdeimos]

What if a big truck with a compressor followed AlphaDog around with a tether?

FTFY... the dogs are pneumatic.

No wonder America invest so much Agains China....

[MindPrison]

...China is getting Super Powerful, the HONEST way (I'm not Chinese btw...Scandinavian), but the point remains... ...logical thinking, quoting Boston Dynamics testing schedule:

" Boston Dynamics' schedule has the first walk-out of AlphaDog taking place sometime in 2012, when DARPA and the U.S. Marines will begin to put the robot to the test for real."

Yeah? 2012 eh? Something planned for us there big "old" brother?

Recapping for the weak of mind:
1) US. Was strong.
2) US. Wants oil.
3) US. Interferes with those countries that has less technology, but OIL. Comply or we support your enemies with weapons!
4) China has the same idea, just years later.
5) Buys American debt, little by little....outsourcing etc.
6) Whooops.... Americas pride is bought by the other superpower? Crap!
7) Become superior in WAR-tech again.
8) Threaten less superior countries, get back on track!

Yep, it's THE American way.

Re:I have a cheaper/better/faster alternative to t

[CubicleView]

Vegetation is not free and plentiful in Iraq. Stealing does not make something free. Why are you talking about the desert? Login and post with an account that isn't brand new and I'll be happy to reply again.