The robot in the video above is skiing. Skiing.
Developed by Bojan Nemec at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Slovenia, this future gold medalist navigates autonomously using a video camera and sensors to “see”, a GPS sensor to help determine velocity and distance from an obstacle, and an electronic gyroscope that sends information on the movement of the lower joints for stability.
When robots are in the Olympics, will they be competing for their developer’s country, or just The Singularity?
Then there’s Boston Dynamics’ latest robotics masterpiece: PETMAN.
Petman is a close relative of my favorite all terrain pack mule robot, BigDog, and the company says it shares elements of mechanical design and control. Where the four-legged BigDog is designed to carry stuff, Petman is a prototype biped robot developed to test chemical protection clothing for the US Army.
Unlike previous suit testers, which had to be supported mechanically and had a limited repertoire of motion, PETMAN will balance itself and move freely; walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics during exposure to chemical warfare agents. PETMAN will also simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary, all to provide realistic test conditions.
Sure… that’s what they say… But seeing how much fun the developers have in their videos, I think the folks at Boston Dynamics just wanted another robot they could shove around!
“When robots are in the Olympics, will they be competing for their developer’s country, or just The Singularity?”
Nice.
wind, rain, or snow: the robots will get you!
That could be an appropriate slogan, AnimeGaryX, considering most of Boston Dynamics’ funding comes from DARPA…
here’s a really awesome update of the walking dog/mule robot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJZVZFRFJc&feature=fvw