Slashdot Mirror
BigDog Robot Gets Much Bigger
savuporo writes "Well known Boston Dynamics BigDog prototype now has a bigger brother named 'LS3' or Legged Squad Support System. It's intended to carry heavy loads for long treks and have enough autonomy to follow soldiers around, listen to voice commands and navigate autonomously."
The LS3 Moves So Loud, We Could Have Shot It In The Dark
It's a bit bloody loud, isn't it? Ah well, need to start somewhere I suppose. At least this wasn't a tethered demo.
Whatever you call it, it's still creepy without anything resembling a head.
It would be entertaining if it exhibited pack behavior. 30 or 40 of them running around together would be pretty interesting to see.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
It's intended to carry heavy loads for long treks and have enough autonomy to follow soldiers around, listen to voice commands and navigate autonomously
Except for the "navigate autonomously" part, that sounds like a Marine.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Look at me, I'm a dandy prancing (headless) pony.
Is there a non-high-stepping mode?
At least one need never worry about it sneaking up and prancing one to death.
"Only a nouveaux-King would insult another's Ambassador near the rainy season! Elephants cost too much, and are completely useless in the mud!"
There, hope to have shed some light on the subject.
The really big ones in open spaces had better keep an eye out for small drones trailing steel cabes.
Do you ever wonder if it would be cheaper and easier just to go back to using horses? I mean, we've been breeding them for hundreds of years...and I'm sure we could make some Kevlar-and-ceramic armor for them to protect them from bullets and shrapnel...
I suppose the advantage is that robots don't need to trained not to panic in the middle of battle. But I still wonder if chasing a technological solution is the wrong path.
Loose things are easy to lose. You're getting your hair cut. They're going there to see their aunt.
The Leslie.
Bonus points if the thing can kneel, in which case I'd call it the Leslie Kneelson.
If you toss barrels with a gravity gun?
I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
Now to mount these on those.
Robot cavalry, chaaaaarge!
Sensors online.
Weapons online.
All systems nominal.
Initiating silly walk.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
congratulations, you've almost re-invented the HORSE!
Service guarantees Citizenship! Questions Guarantee GITMO.... Amerika Uber Alles!
These news are always amazing and at the same time a bit scary. Or is it only just me?
Video of some good progressive thrash music
I prefer my robot overlords with wheels. It lets me know where I stand with them.
chasing autonomous cars? Or robot cats?
...listen to voice commands ...
And in the real world
BigBigDog: Rararararararararararararrr
Marine: Go over there
BigBigDog: Rararararararararararararrr
Marine: BigDog! Go over there
BigBigDog: Rararararararararararararrr
Marine: F*k it.
Marine goes and carries BigDog to desired location.
They definitely need a quieter version otherwise it's just not going to work!
Please PLEASE have the things say, in a deep electronic voice, "Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof." while walking. If they do that, I will buy all of them immediately.
I'd still prefer to have a flying car.
Although a pack of these trampling your village would be pretty fearsome.
wait, no, make them bigger... 1/2 truck size.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Now we just need to discover Smithore and we'll be all set to go to planet Irata.
Rob
Thinking about this from the viewpoint of the opposing commander, I'd make this thing the first target. Why? Because the soldier, initially free from carrying some part of their current 100 lb load because of the LS3, will then have to shoulder (whatever is left of) the load -- and they won't have the correct pack, harness, etc. to do it, so it will slow them down even more than the original state of packing the 100 lbs prior to the advent of the LS3. Not to mention that shooting at the LS3 will probably put some highly inconvenient holes in the soldier's equipment.
A properly configured mobile force -- at the individual combatant level -- carries everything it needs in an optimally loaded manner. Start adding in support vehicles -- autonomous or piloted -- and what you have done is put the soldier's supplies at risk, and therefore, likely the mission as well.
OTOH, these would be great in civilian roles. With a decent muffler system...
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Real horses are quieter, self-fueling, self-reproducing, and a lot cheaper. I fail to see the advantage of this robot version. And before someone says you can kill horses with a bullet, if you put a bullet through the sensors or generator of this robot, it's not going anywhere either.
Then put a soldier behind it and let him fire the weapon. You get the certainity of a human presence & control, the high firepower and ammo capacity of the M134, all on the ground, capable of close quarters urban combat in buildings. (Not to mention that it would probably deafen everyone within 50 ft.)
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Why not use one of several existing cheap, proven bio-mechanical, intelligent solutions with long track records?
It walks like a submissive dog. Yuck!
That's why it would fit in a pretty niche role with the current sound level.
On the front lines in a battlefield? Forget it, due to noise.
Flat terrain in a controlled area? Obviously far better to use wheels.
You could theoretically have these advancing somewhat behind the front lines in uneven terrain, in big packs, especially when you don't have control of the air. Not sure how big a role that is to fit these into, but the US Army is pretty big.
wait, no, make them bigger... 1/2 truck size.
Still too small. I want a 55 metric ton version of this loaded up with advanced composite armors and a variety of weapon systems.
Then, we work on the 2-legged version.
Then the scale! Bigger!
Then the Battletech fans and the Warhammer fans start a small war about whether to work on solar-powered jumpships or try to harness a parallel worldscape filled with eldrich horrors for our long-distance travel.
Cow tippers recruited by Al Qeida
With a 400 pound payload, this machine can carry (maybe) the full combat gear load of four soldiers, or more practically half the load for 8.
Global Security documents that the average rifleman's combat load is 91 pounds. Some of this is going to stay with the soldier. Remote special forces units packs will be much higher, as they must be more self sufficient. Combat pack weight is almost directly determined by the capability of (and the soldiers confidence in) the supply train.
If you have the luxury of going in with full air support and helicopter resupply you don't need heavy packs, but you aren't going to surprise anyone either. This walker device wouldn't be needed where you have helicopter support. Where you do need this device is where you may not want it, such as rough terrain missions, with small numbers of soldiers, trying to be reasonably stealthy.
An couple of chain saw motors coming thru the outback is going to be easy to hear. In the woods you can easily hear a chainsaw two to five miles away. Having one right next to you means you can't hear anything else. Not the breaking twig, not the thump of a distant mortar tube, probably not even bullets smacking the trees right next to you.
So unless they can do something about the noise this seems to me to be a re-supply tool for use in already controlled rugged areas rather than something that accompanies combat troops. But if you already control the area, just use a chopper. Even if you do quiet the engine, I suspect this thing is less than stealthy.
And left unsaid is the weight of the second day's fuel.
The use case seems vanishingly small in its current state.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
I wonder if just using 5 or 6 horses wouldn't be better. It'd certainly be cheaper.
Yea it is cool... However you will probably get more bang for your buck with Horses... They do the same thing that the robot does but better and quieter. They have been tested valuable in warfare in the past.
The only advantage I see with the robot is you can turn it off for week or months without much maintenance.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
but can also transverse it!
BigDog may look like a dog, but LS3 looks like a horse. Imagine how great this could be: every soldier gets his own LS3 to ride on. With these they could go effortlessly anywhere, even when no roads are available. Just like in medieval times...
Computer simulation made easy -- LibGeoDecomp
With a thousand young! Ia!
...in that its super expensive and basically useless on the ground...
No, wait, its the same.
This looks like an intermediate prototype of the LS3. The specs call for a quieter power plant, which has to run on standard military diesel fuel. There's a subcontractor working on that. Clearly, that hasn't been integrated yet.
The LS3 is supposed to be about the same size as BigDog, but with with much stronger legs. That's clearly what's being tested here. BigDog wasn't strong enough to get up from the ground, while the video here shows this machine getting up. It took a lot of custom hydraulics to do that, which is why Boston Dynamics teamed with a hydraulics company.
Also, the sensor suite is much more elaborate, indicating that the autonomy level is being increased. BigDog handled balance and locomotion, but was guided by a human with a remote.
What we're seeing here is that some of the hard problems have been solved. Now the design will presumably be cleaned up for production.
Actually, I imagined them locating gas stations near the battlefield, ripping up gas pumps, and unreeling rubber proboscises to feed.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Legs are cool and all, Star Wars, but it seems a properly designed tracked unit would be much more efficient and able to carry significantly more load.
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
I know nothing about the in-country, on patrol lives of our troops. I tend to think though that some amount of stealth would be useful. I can't imagine a squad moving in a deliberate, quiet fashion whil being followed around by what sounds like four chain-saws on full throttle.
Next, does it carry 400lb in addition to the fuel load? What is the active, loaded range before you have to take it back for kibble and a nap?
Man that is just soooo creepy!
So that the Enemy just needs to walk up to the LS3 and shout "Follow ME!" to commandeer our units supplies?
That's how we fight future wars? Wow!
Geekism is your _only_ God!
So, someone pops out of the bushes and shouts "Return home!"
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Now what is going to happen to all of my "Wheel" stock? First they obsolete the internal combustion engine, then came the paperless office, now this.
Gently reply
It's quieter, very ecological and much more silent. Would be cheaper as well since it doesn't require loads of engineers to create it.
This is one of the coolest and scariest things I've seen in a while.
...
I can just imagine the Terminator riding one of those things into battle. Or mating with it
http://that-figures.blogspot.com/2011/02/vintage-view-micronauts-baron-karza-and.html
...the final design will be quieter.
Combat pants use buttons instead of zippers because they are quieter--government contractors know how to make things to spec.
If this is being planned for uses where noise is an issue, then it will be as quiet as it needs to be.
It is not true that Michael Vick ordered eight of these to be shipped to a kennel in West Virginia.
http://www.busyweather.com/
Wouldn't it be more efficient to just take all the 'load' off it, put some extra sensors and armour on it and mount a 50mm turret cannon on it's back?
Send it in instead of the soldiers?
Most of what it's carrying around is food/water for the squishy humans. When it could just as easily carry a heavier weapon and more fuel/ammo for itself while (when armoured) fairly resistant to small arms fire itself.
Also, you need to put a tiger head on it... Thundercats HOOOOO! ;)
A horse. And the horse runs on oats and grass and doesn't sound like a chain saw.
Stairs.
Cliffs.
Small ledges.
Etc.
Good idea though.
It's a great adavancement in robotics but combat? 1 round from my M-16 at 200 yards incapacitaites it or probably destroys it.
Way to noisy.
Way to heavy
Very scary
Let us count the ways of epic failure:
1. Follows enemy combatants instead of friendly soldiers
2. Takes orders from enemy combatants.
3. Makes enough noise to be heard at least a klick away.
4. Runs out of fuel.
The only thing this has over a mule or horse is that it can be deployed on a jump.
TeTalon
You are either a part of the problem, or a part of the solution, which are you.
"listen to voice commands"
With all this noise? I imagine the commander yelling "hey!!! robot!!! can you hear me?? hey!!! Damn $%$ would you stop moving so you can hear me telling you what I want you to do?"