[ForensicShoe]

Hey guys.

Just thought I'd share this with you all.

Introducing the AlphaDog!



The basic design of this thing has been around for a couple of years now but it is truly a remarkable piece of technology, programming and robotic engineering and has recently come back into the news due to a new design the American military are currently testing. This latest version is set to be put into use by the Americans to help carry equipment during foot patrols and, as mentioned above, can follow a soldier for over 20 miles. This robot is coming from the company that designed a robot that 'can run faster than Usain Bolt' (28.3 mph on a treadmill).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...-jump-lap.html

Something I found rather fascinating (as well as something that made me laugh) was skipping to 1:24 on this YouTube video. This robot can walk across (and keep its balance) on ice, something that most of us humans can't do without falling over (and this is the earlier model from almost two years ago!)

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Someone mentioned on the comments section of the Daily Mail website that "this [design] will be made faster, smaller and more efficient (to be honest, it probably has already been done. Afterall, if this is what the American government is willing to show us, imagine what they have going on behind closed doors ). It will be smarter too until we have artificial intelligence in animal form. It's the way technology goes and I fully expect [that in the] future (around 10 years give or take) we will have bio-mechanical animals running around the neighborhood alongside live ones". Interesting thought. Could pave the way for a Terminator style 'Rise of the Machines'

Here's the 28.3 mph 'Cheetah robot' if anyone's interested.

[Jelkin]

Sounds like an angry bee.

(Pretty cool though - I laughed out loud when the person kicked it and it started staggering around drunkenly. Then weirdly I felt bad.)

EDIT: Geez, it's amazing! I can't stop thinking of it like it's an actual animal.

[saberahmed786]

(Original post by ForensicShoe)
Someone mentioned on the comments section of the Daily Mail website that "this [design] will be made faster, smaller and more efficient (to be honest, it probably has already been done. Afterall, if this is what the American government is willing to show us, imagine what they have going on behind closed doors ). It will be smarter too until we have artificial intelligence in animal form. It's the way technology goes and I fully expect [that in the] future (around 10 years give or take) we will have bio-mechanical animals running around the neighborhood alongside live ones". Interesting thought. Could pave the way for a Terminator style Rise of the Machines

LOOOOL THAT WAS ME!! (I go under a pseudonym on the DailyMail for a lot of reasons)

But Bio-mechanical engineering excites me so much! I think of it like the original processors. Years ago, a processor would have taken a whole room full to carry out simple menial tasks but in the space of around 30 years they have quadrupled in power (and output) and drastically fallen in size.

I think these robot animals will go along the same route. They're big space-consuming behemoths right now but the more engineers working on them and the more research going into them the better and smarter they'll get.

The future looks bright

[ForensicShoe]

(Original post by Jelkin)
Sounds like an angry bee.

(Pretty cool though - I laughed out loud when the person kicked it and it started staggering around drunkenly. Then weirdly I felt bad.)

EDIT: Geez, it's amazing! I can't stop thinking of it like it's an actual animal.

I could actually see robots like these eventually becoming household pets (maybe even replacing them if cats/dogs become extinct or whatever ).

Pretty scary thought

[ForensicShoe]

(Original post by saberahmed786)
LOOOOL THAT WAS ME!! (I go under a pseudonym on the DailyMail for a lot of reasons)

But Bio-mechanical engineering excites me so much! I think of it like the original processors. Years ago, a processor would have taken a whole room full to carry out simple menial tasks but in the space of around 30 years they have quadrupled in power (and output) and drastically fallen in size.

I think these robot animals will go along the same route. They're big space-consuming behemoths right now but the more engineers working on them and the more research going into them the better and smarter they'll get.

The future looks bright

It's a pretty small world

I think they might have already have got to that stage to be honest. They just don't want us knowing about it yet

[saberahmed786]

(Original post by ForensicShoe)
It's a pretty small world

I think they might have already have got to that stage to be honest. They just don't want us knowing about it yet

Totally

I actually can imagine countries holding back on certain technology though! I think it was the blackbird which was apparently being tested during 'nam but released around 30 years later.

Oh wells. I'm looking forward to the day the common man can buy an ironman suit

[danny111]

What is more impressive, the mechanical engineering of the dog, or the programming to make him do the things he can do. I mean look at what happens when he gets kicked - his legs move sideways to keep balance.

[Kage]

It'd need to get a lot more silent as it uses an engine at the minute, but yeah, the programming is incredible, and the precision, etc.
The amount of times the processor must be checking values etc from sensors to achieve this in real time.

Seen this before, but never thought of posting.

To run as fast as a real Cheetah, it'll have to be capable of short bursts of at least 60mph, but that is considering the size of the real Cheetah. This robot is obviously a lot smaller so hasn't got as big of a stride.

This is a newer one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqpO58x7vuE

You posted the wrong video. The one you posted showed the older 18mph limit

[ForensicShoe]

(Original post by danny111)
What is more impressive, the mechanical engineering of the dog, or the programming to make him do the things he can do. I mean look at what happens when he gets kicked - his legs move sideways to keep balance.

The programming is very impressive

The bit where it's working to keep it's balance on the ice is amazing as well. I wonder how long that took to perfect

[ForensicShoe]

(Original post by Kage)
It'd need to get a lot more silent as it uses an engine at the minute, but yeah, the programming is incredible, and the precision, etc.
The amount of times the processor must be checking values etc from sensors to achieve this in real time.

Seen this before, but never thought of posting.

To run as fast as a real Cheetah, it'll have to be capable of short bursts of at least 60mph, but that is considering the size of the real Cheetah. This robot is obviously a lot smaller so hasn't got as big of a stride.

This is a newer one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqpO58x7vuE

You posted the wrong video. The one you posted showed the older 18mph limit

Ah cheers for telling me. Should probably have gone to sleep a couple of hours ago but instead I'm on the internet looking at robotic dogs

[Jelkin]

(Original post by ForensicShoe)
Ah cheers for telling me. Should probably have gone to sleep a couple of hours ago but instead I'm on the internet looking at robotic dogs

Me too. Thanks

[Minotauro]

Do you guys remember those weird cow robots (gekkos)from the last metal gear solid.......

creepy as funk

[danny111]

this dog is way too loud. i like his perseverance though. mindlessly following you.

i wonder how he marks his territory.

[TheHistoryStudent]

That is probably one of the weirdest things I have ever seen... it's so...creepy , but also funny - don't really know what to think haha!

As far as it's military uses go... i'm no soldier/engineer but I just can't see something like that being particularly useful to troops on the ground, sure it can carry stuff, but isn't that why we have vehicles (who can carry troops as well, and depending on the type, in relative safety too). I suppose what it'd be most useful for would be infantry who are in isolated bases or what have you, but even then, it probably wouldn't be very good on a patrol or something, being loud (as others have said), big (even if it's camouflaged, you'd see that thing coming...), and probably easy to immobilise (since alot of the robotics seem to be exposed... although I honestly dunno about this part).

Still, it looks damn cool, and as others have said, this is just what they're showing us at the moment, who knows what they have hidden away.

EDIT: Also, just had the strangest thought that if they released that for the civilian market, you could ride it to work/uni... awesome - you could race 'em against other robot dog owners.