BigDog, the quadrupedal robot is tested in Afghanistan
He knows almost everything. Walk on the roughest terrain, climb hills of 35 ° tilt, carrying the 140 pounds of equipment in snow or mud. It even happens to restore equilibrium (see video) when he slipped on a patch of ice. BigDog is the “quadruped robot the world’s most advanced”, created by Boston Dynamics, as part of a program of DARPA (the agency of the Department of Defense of the USA which is responsible for research and development of new technologies in military use).
In 2009, another milestone is reached in robotics with field tests of active conflict, a remote-controlled robot. I must say that it is a champion in the field because he can make points to 6.5 mph and broke the world record of independence in traveling without stopping 20km speed of 4 km / h. The “Big Dog” of 75 kg, which actually looks like a mule with four jointed legs equipped with actuators and many sensors, will therefore become the indefatigable companion of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but not ultra discreet with the noise of lawn mowers.
This is the war in Iraq has boosted the market for robots: they are more effective in certain conditions and can even save lives (depending which side one takes, of course). As explained in a report by Rue89, “the appearance of these robots is the inevitable prelude to a revolution in the” art “of war, a watershed comparable to the discovery of gunpowder. Because the border is a fine line between simple order given by a remote control robot ( “Tire in one direction) and a more complex (” Enter into this building and kill any living thing which is more than 1.30 meters “).”
And here is the problem of artificial intelligence the future, equally valid for the beasts fighting for androids civilians: “Even if it is not for today, the issue of empowerment end Robots by arise. And with it, the programming of “moral limits” to its own decisions. “In line of sight, looming so the 3 laws of robotics Asimov and difficult issues of ethics and politics. (See