Rise of the machines

[Vapymid]

Boston Dynamics have done it again...

 

Robot runs faster than Bolt (with video): Cheetah

 

Can you imagine a pack of these things chasing you across a rough field with black helicopter drones circling above your head?

 

Regards

[ProHypster]

Ok, but have you ever thought that a car or even a balanced motorcylce that can automatically drive would be much faster then this.

 

Such a waste, if they did this robot simply for the speed.

 

I don't imagine these things in the near future because they are impractical, I imagine, robocycles, robocars, robotraktors, robotanks, robohelicopters, drones.

 

And I think this might belong in the Serious topic Section.

[Lord Sinister]

I've moved the topic.

 

@ProHypster, I really don't think this sort of device would be used for personal transport. I expect a device like this would be used for going over uneven/unstable terrain, possibly in pursuit of other people who, on foot, wouldn't be able to outrun it.

[Vapymid]

I can easily see these things being able to scramble up mountains, jump over small obstacles, run up and down stairs, operate in packs and have a variety of surveillance payloads and/or weapons attached to them.

 

They can flush out snipers, then chase and kill them, they can pursue a person of interest across terrain or in a building and shoot him with a tranquiliser gun for the troops/police to capture and interrogate him, they can ambush someone on a mountain trek, kill and chew off his head to bring it back as evidence of target elimination, they can terrorise and round up a bunch of "insurgents" and make them ready for apprehension or execution in one go.

 

Basically, manhacks on foot.

 

And the most worrying is that I'm sure that right now generals and special forces colonels are sitting and drooling over plans how they could deploy these creatures in precisely those ways.

 

However, even knowing that this technology will be abused by military and governments I am still impressed by the achievement of the engineers.

 

There are many way how it may be used other than for destruction or killings. A pack of these runners + a few Dogs of burden accompanying a manned Mars expedition would be a good example.

 

Regards

[ProHypster]

I've moved the topic.

 

@ProHypster, I really don't think this sort of device would be used for personal transport. I expect a device like this would be used for going over uneven/unstable terrain, possibly in pursuit of other people who, on foot, wouldn't be able to outrun it.

The point is, Robotanks, Robohovers, Mini-Robocopters, Robowhatever without legs but with the same armament would be better then Robolegs. It's just legs are not the most efficient transport system, sure humans have them, but would the perfect being have them? Fish, birds, insects are faster relative to their size and in the latter case more mobile then animals with legs.

[Vapymid]

Flying requires high power-to-weight ratio and you can't very well do this with wheels or tracks

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Legs are more versatile, wheeled or tracked vehicles will bog down hopelessly where a legged device of the same weight can possibly pass.

 

Regards

[Different]

Give it a couple of decades

http://deusex.wikia.com/wiki/CC-75_Security_bot

[ProHypster]

Ha! I enjoyed watching that 3 minute video about Goats ...

But relevant to the topic, for that kind of balance and movement even just a legged robot won't do. Can you imagine the amount of programming needed for it to interpret "How to climb this mountain efficiently" and "How to Balance". Even a Human can't do that unless he is a proffesional climber. And if you want a robot to track a Human on Mount Everest, I would use a hybrid of a Helibot with Grapling Hooks.

 

I still think the amount of time it would require to build such a legged robot would be better spent on creating a hybrid or "purebred" of drone, hover, track, helicopter, or even Jet robot.

 

There is also intersting and still not used valuably experimental technology such as Ionocraft, Electrogravitics, Magnets, Anti-Gravity etc.

[Vapymid]

But relevant to the topic, for that kind of balance and movement even just a legged robot won't do.

 

But have you seen Big Dog?

 

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Developed by the same company.

 

Regards

[ProHypster]

Lmao, sorry but I seriously thought that this was two humans in a prank for the first minute or so.

However, I admit this is very, very impressive what they did, but I stick to my point that this kind of technology won't be adopted in the military, or it will but not for very long. Actually there is only one thing I can think of, for psychological reasons. Whether it be for it to look more Human friendly or the opposite.

 

Judge yourself, your robot, or the robots starting at 19:00:

 

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Actually if you're really interested watch the whole video, it includes all robots and explains their bad and good, yours too . As for me the class of robots at 19:00-22:00 I think have the most potential out of all.

[Vapymid]

I seriously thought that this was two humans in a prank

 

Someone else had the same idea!

 

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Regards

[ProHypster]

HAHAHA!!, I haven't laughed like that for years!!!

I would plus rep you for this topic and video but I just don't have any points

[Vapymid]

Looks like the US military is serious about this.

 

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They are going to test these machines in army field exercises starting from this December, according to Wired.

 

The article is here

 

Regards

 

P.S. Now looks more like a cow to me...

[sheridanm962]

sure you can't outrun it.

 

Can you crowbar it, or even use other deadly force?

[ProHypster]

So let's say I'm a scared Irani citizen and shoot it with a Bazooka or an Ak. What happens?

[Vapymid]

Something like this?

 

 

Regards

[ProHypster]

And so the scared Irani citizen with a 1 - 10 000 $ weapon beats the more expensive American Weapon...

 

But I guess Americans don't mind .

[Vapymid]

I bet the Iranian can find an AK or an RPG-7 for much less than $10k!

 

On the other hand, it will be practically impossible to hit one of the running Cheetah robots with an RPG and with the assault rifle you will take out maybe one or two, probably spending entire magazine, so the rest will get you while you are fumbling with the reload or trying to take out your side arm. Now imagine it will all be happening at dusk or at night. Not a pleasant situation to find yourself in...

 

And probably no chance of distracting them by throwing them a piece of meat or a dead chicken or something (maybe a few AA batteries will work?)

 

Regards

[ProHypster]

You're right there, but I think, the smaller the better.

[Vapymid]

I can't stop being amazed by the [quiet] development of robotics.

 

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Regards