You don't want to see this thing bounding towards you. Image Credit: Boston Dynamics / YouTube
The DARPA funded project has produced a quadrupedal robot that is able to run like a cheetah.
The terrifying contraption moves in an eerily life-like way and can bound along at up to 16mph. While previous iterations of the robot were confined to the laboratory and needed to be hooked up to multiple cables, this new version has an on-board power system and can go anywhere it likes.
The robot was designed by Boston Dynamics as part of DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation Program which is aimed at producing robots that are able to move across natural environments with ease.
Having a WildCat bounding towards you might seem like a terrifying prospect but it does suffer from a few drawbacks. Equipped with a noisy go-kart engine, the robot is so loud that you'd hear it coming a mile away. Also without being hooked up to a power source WildCat's battery will only allow it to run at full-speed for a matter of minutes.
the sounds really ruins it, glad they showed muted footage lol BUT...they are spending a whopping 10 million to refine it and quiet it down. Most prototypes are cumbersome/noisy while the concept is proven, as they want this for the battlefield, you can be very very sure the final end product will probably just hum. They may not even use a combustion engine in the end, who knows? DARPA Spends $10 Million To Make BigDog Stronger And Stealthier Last week, DARPA awarded a $10 million contract to Boston Dynamics to further develop BigDog, with a planned culmination in a military exercise two years... [More]
The potential of this sort of thing is immense, not just to the military. Roadless travel without stopping to forage! yer no foraging......damn never thought about the gas station
BUT...they are spending a whopping 10 million to refine it and quiet it down. Most prototypes are cumbersome/noisy while the concept is proven, as they want this for the battlefield, you can be very very sure the final end product will probably just hum. They may not even use a combustion engine in the end, who knows? DARPA Spends $10 Million To Make BigDog Stronger And Stealthier Last week, DARPA awarded a $10 million contract to Boston Dynamics to further develop BigDog, with a planned culmination in a military exercise two years from now. To reduce risks to soldiers in combat, the research ... [More]
See what happens when we try to use alien tech without alien support? It comes out all noisy and stuff. Mrglflank Obo is probably laughing one or more of his tails off at those poor puny humans.
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