For a while there I kept looking at those legs wondering if they were in fact human legs and this was just some kind of cheep trick.
The coordination of that robot is absolutely amazing!
Even when it was kicked sideways or went over very irregular obstacles, it not only stayed upright but it moved just like a human would! ( if not much better! )
Originally posted by SeitseYes, it is DARPA funded. I googled them and their website explains what it is for and is worth a look: http://www.bostondynamics.com they have 3 other robotics projects (with promotional videos), little dog, an alternative rough terrain robot and a climbing robot that is kind of insectile.
Is the military funding that?
There is also a wikipedia entry which doesn´t really say anything more about Big Dog, but the eventual intent is something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legged_Squad_Support_System
They say Little Dog is a learning robot - I wonder if that means that it´s neural net based.
Uhm... crap... same old, same old, it seems.
The U.S., directly or through the IMF, WB, etc. always tries to crush the "populist left-wingers" of other countries (particularly Latin American), and cry foul or a "terrorist attack" on the level playing field (lol), if they dare to put a single coin in subsidies... yet the U.S. puts billions of taxpayers' money in subsidies for R&D and agriculture, among others.
Moreover, the taxpayers' money goes directly into war, either they want it or not. And, together with the above, the taxpayers' are also putting lots of cash into the corporations, who also benefit from these awesome fruits of R&D... either the taxpayers want it or not.
Bleh... I don't know what to think anymore everytime I see these technological advances.
Well, they are subsidizing a university. What I don't find funny is what happens with the researchers' discoveries thereafter.
But hey, my questions are based solely on my personal opinion, so there's nothing right or wrong about it... I just don't like scientific advances going to the hands of armies or just a few corporations, because they sell it to the same people who funded it.
Originally posted by SeitseWell, that's just the government by proxy. I partially agree, it's better to fund research more directly aimed towards fundamental research or improving people's lives, but still there could be some spinoff from this research that does have a positive impact on people's lives, analogous to nuclear power.
Well, it's not about predicting, hun. If the military is paying for it, there are two things for sure: (a) it's taxpayers' money, and (b) they have a primary right over the discoveries obtained.
Check the video again and see, at the end of it, who's funding the project.