Is it just me or is this really, really creepy?

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: OulOat
Most people don't appreciate how difficult locomotion is. We take it for granted, but to program a robot to do the same demonstrates it's difficulty. It's amazing how the robot handled being kicked (very lifelike) and doing minute adjustments walking on snow and bricks.

Link

 

[akshatp]

Whoa... that sh|t looks weird

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: johnjbruin
That is freaky.
I'd be scared like shit if that thing crept up behind me.

"Crept up"? Are you deaf?

Needs a muffler, but kind of cool. Moves like many a 4-legged mammal.

That said, in some ways it seems strange that we're building robots to emulate biological life. Wouldn't it make more sense to play to the strengths of metal-and-silicon construction, like reliable rotating joints, precision and reproduceability in motion, high speed, and consistent logic, rather than adaptability (which flesh-and-blood is better at anyway)?

 

[dennilfloss]

SSP,

I'm retired. My specialty was ichnology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_fossils

 

[needalife]

I'd tase it.

 

[dighn]

yeah it's got that demonic vibe

 

[Mo0o]

reminds me of two people carrying a couch

 

[ForumMaster]

that ominous whine is what gets me.

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss
Doesn't bother me one bit. Then again, as a paleontologist I have seen some bizarre creatures (e.g. Hallucigenia) and I'm not affected by the Uncanny Valley phenomenon either.

I just googled the Uncanny Valley phenomenon and read up on it as I've never heard of it before. For the record, that has to be the dumbest shit I've ever read. What type of person comes up with this type of crap?

Ok, here's the deal. I've got a hypothesis that I'm formulating at the moment. My hypothesis states that if you eat a piece of tasty pie it will be the best thing you've ever eaten. You'll then have a second piece which will be good also, but not as good as the first. You'll then have a third piece because you're still after the feeling you got from the first piece but the third piece tastes only average. You'll have a fourth piece because you still really want the first piece feeling, but the fourth piece ends up tasting absolutely horrible. You'll then choke down a fifth piece because you're now badly chasing the original feeling and after the fifth piece you yak.

Now, one could call this the law of diminishing returns but I'm calling it the Grossly Insubordinate Pecan. I figure my hypothesis has at least as much real world relevance as this 'phenomenon' does. I can't wait to get published.

 

[Auric]

Old but still creepy. The hairy legs don't help.

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: Auric
Old but still creepy. The hairy legs don't help.

No need to bring yo mama into the thread.

 

[soydios]

whoa, that's really creepy. it *is* the legs.
but that's a very impressive technology demo

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss

Originally posted by: Auric
Old but still creepy. The hairy legs don't help.

No need to bring yo mama into the thread.

That was teed up nicely for you, n'est ce pas?

 

[Kaido]

aHAH, now I know what they remind me of - those creepy Rollerblade guys called Wheelers from the second Wizard of Oz movie, Return to Oz I think:

http://warehouse.carlh.com/article_075/oz_15x.jpg

*shudder*

 

[jmmtn4aj]

If anyone's interested, that's BigDog, developed by Boston Dynamics and funded by DARPA. It's a robot designed to carry equipment and supplies for soldiers working in terrain not accessible by normal land vehicles, and in situations where air transport isn't available all the time. In particular the target audiences of this project are the various SOF groups, who frequently work in those kinds of terrain under those conditions.

 

[SearchMaster]

Heh - I love this comment.

So...basically they built a ****ing creepy looking robot that doesn't do anything except look and sound like a pack of killler bees carrying a coffin?

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: jmmtn4aj
If anyone's interested, that's BigDog, developed by Boston Dynamics and funded by DARPA. It's a robot designed to carry equipment and supplies for soldiers working in terrain not accessible by normal land vehicles, and in situations where air transport isn't available all the time. In particular the target audiences of this project are the various SOF groups, who frequently work in those kinds of terrain under those conditions.

Great way for Very Special Forces to give away their position; what with the noise. Perhaps when uber batteries are invented it can be motorized instead of be-engined.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi
I like it but its very loud.

No ambushes with that thing

 

[Cogman]

I was pretty impressed at the way it handled the mud and being kicked. but How would it handle being knocked over/tripped? Impressive, although creepy looking sums up this thread.

 

[Platypus]

skynet

 

[nCred]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2bExqhhWRI

Look at the fast jumping one at the end of the video.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: nCred
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2bExqhhWRI

Look at the fast jumping one at the end of the video.

:shocked:

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: nCred
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2bExqhhWRI

Look at the fast jumping one at the end of the video.

:shocked:

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: nCred
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2bExqhhWRI

Look at the fast jumping one at the end of the video.

That was cool as hell.

I wonder how many videos of jumping quadrupeds they studied too get the jumping motion right.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

You know what they remind me of? Metal Gears from MGS4. Those damn biomechnical legs.