Thursday, April 25, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Science & Technology > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Science & Technology

Boston Dynamics reveals new WildCat robot

By T.K. Randall
October 5, 2013 · Comment icon 22 comments

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.



Source: CNET | Comments (22)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #13 Posted by Lava_Lady 11 years ago
Cool/Creepy.... also glad it's noisy and glad it wasn't designed with a pokey stick in the front. Pranks would run afoul.
Comment icon #14 Posted by morphiouse 11 years ago
It looks like its running backwards which makes it look creepy
Comment icon #15 Posted by Frank Merton 11 years ago
The potential of this sort of thing is immense, not just to the military. Roadless travel without stopping to forage!
Comment icon #16 Posted by seeder 11 years ago
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]
Comment icon #17 Posted by joz48 11 years ago
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
Comment icon #18 Posted by joz48 11 years ago
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]
Comment icon #19 Posted by SkepticalB 11 years ago
what enemy has shown to have technology as advanced as the U.S.? it's literally the only thing we have going for us
Comment icon #20 Posted by Kludge808 11 years ago
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.
Comment icon #21 Posted by little_dreamer 11 years ago
It's got no head - just legs and a body. Creepy.
Comment icon #22 Posted by SkepticalB 11 years ago
I'm sure when they mount a gun torrent on it that'll fix the look.


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles