Come on. We’ve all played at least one sci-fi shooting game. Boston Dynamics had to create a smaller, more cannon-foddery version of Big Dog to go along with the full size, standard enemy units they’d already built, right? I mean, they’ve already got the tiny-sized swarm unit. Might as well complete the set.
At only 160 pounds, Spot may not be hurling cinder blocks like its larger relative, but its increased agility allows it to move more quickly over uneven terrain. It can also take a good kicking and keep on ticking, which its creators seem to enjoy demonstrating as the emotionless robot’s body language conveys a clear sense of panic likely designed to trick us into thinking it can feel. Observe:
It also runs at a pretty decent—if not quite cheetah-bot—pace and gives out scares alone or in pairs!
Spot won’t be doing the same heavy lifting as BigDog, but its descendants will be better suited to scouting and search-and-rescue missions than their bulkier counterparts. Plus they’ll really fill in the mid-size opponent variety when it comes time for the uprising.
(via Gizmodo)
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Published: Feb 10, 2015 11:36 am