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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
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.
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.
If you toss barrels with a gravity gun?
I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
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!
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.
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.
Unfortunately, horses may exhibit terror behavior and run totally amok.
Video of some good progressive thrash music
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
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
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.
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.
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