A Short History of Biomimicry

5 March 2015

            Robotics has taken an unexpected turn in the last few decades.  1950’s science fiction conditioned us to image of advanced technology as something completely unfamiliar and exotic.  These fictional images presented a family of devices that could and would do things we’d never even imagined.

            But pause for a moment

            Why do we need a technology to do things we don’t apparently need?  Think about it.  If we don’t know about something and can’t even imagine it, we probably don’t want or need it.

            Out of this was quietly born the new study.  That study, biotechnology, began from the understanding that we technology to perform those activities with which we are most familiar – the drudgery of repetitive tasks, and the danger of possibly injurious tasks.

            In short, we needed technology that could perform everyday tasks in the way we might perform them.  The jeeps high suspension revolutionized motorized travel over rough terrain, but no jeep could go to most of the places a walking human could easily reach. 

            In short, if you needed a machine to do what a particular biological organism can easily do, you may have to design the machine that works exactly like that biological organism – or abandon the project all together.

            Modern biorobots began about the turn of the 19th to the 20th century with a field named biomechanics.   But that certainly wasn’t the intention of its creators or researchers of the time.  They were physicists and engineers interested in one of the greatest challenges presented by nature – understanding the physics of the movement and actions of living organisms.  Describing in mathematical, engineering formulae how, for examples, human beings walk on two legs.

            This challenging endeavor would revolutionize the study of biology.  But these researchers were also doing something they did know or imagine.  They didn’t even have a word for it, but they were “reverse engineering” biological species.     

            When sci-fi was still dominated by those inhuman and unnatural versions of mechanistic technology, a new technological methodology was, quietly, born.  “Biomimetics” was the first term used to describe the development of technology designed to imitate and replicate the activities of biological systems and organisms.  Then, another term, “biomimicry,” was widely adopted to describe any technology imitating (copied from) from nature. 

            Again, in some contexts, biomimicry is more of a necessity than a choice.  If you want drones that work in a particular way, and the only known example of such performance is a biological organism, you’ll either have to imitate the organism or forget the project altogether.  So, to get flying ‘bots that maneuver the way flying insects and birds do, the ‘bots must be designed to imitate the actual form and movement of these same creatures.

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What is a “Cyborg”?

3 April 2014

SHORT AND SIMPLE

A cybernetic organism is called a cyborg (for short). A cyborg is a being with both organic (living) and mechanical parts. And it sounds just as creepy to say that a cyborg is part living animal and part machine. But, TV’s The Six Million Dollar Man brought one idea of a cyborg into public awareness. The “The Six Million Dollar Man” is a fictional vision of normal human functions increased and improved by robotic or mechanical technology.

VIDEO CLIP INTRO: The Six Million Dollar Man

WIKIPEDIA: The Six Million Dollar Man

But a few years before the airing of the pilot episode of the TV show, most everyone already knew about cyborgs. As a matter of fact, most of us have met a few. Simply, the cardiac pacemaker, introduced in the 1960’s, turns the wearer into a cyborg. The pacemaker’s action as it regulates the beating of the human heart is enough to make the user, together with the device, into a cyborg. Also, a variety of medical and life-saving technology may, technically, combine together with the user to form a cyborg.

But if “The Six Million Dollar Man” was a cyborg, why did they call him “bionic?”

Because “bionics” is the study of how to use mechanical technology to replace human organs or improve the way human organs work. So, the study is bionics, but the actual combination is called a cyborg. By the way, the TV show, “The Six Million Dollar Man”, was based on a science fiction novel by Martin Caidin titled Cyborg.

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What is Bionics?

3 April 2014

THE SHORT ANSWER

A simple internet search brought many results. But the first was a definition of bionics: “having artificial body parts, [especially] electromechanical ones.”

The term bionic is most often used in medicine to mean the replacement or improvement of human organs or other body parts with mechanical imitations. Bionic imitations are designed “to work” like the original part or even better. This is different from prosthetic replacements, which are only designed to “look like” the missing organ or body part. However, one does not have to exclude the other. A “working” bionic replacement can also be prosthetic or “look like” the missing body part or organ.

Many researchers in the field of robotics are working on many different projects. And each group of researchers knows what they are doing. But this field has, and continues, to develop so quickly that there is a lot of actual confusion about words: what to call what you are doing. And the word bionic is an example of change and confusion.

In the late 1950’s, a psychiatrist and engineer named Jack E. Steele invented the term bionic. But his “bionic” had a much broader meaning than the term has today. Steele used the term to describe the imitation of nature, natural processes, and living organisms in the design of mechanical systems – as solutions “to engineering problems.”

And the definition might be the same, today, if a science fiction writer named Martin Caidin hadn’t used the term in his novel, Cyborg. Again, the definition of the word bionic might not have been affected if the novel had been unpopular.   Not only was Cyborg popular, but it was adapted into the television show, The Six Million Dollar Man.  I’d guess the show’s developers thought the word “bionic” sounded cool, but the word “cyborg” sounded creepy. The rest is not only TV history, but narrowed the meaning of the word bionics to focus on the design of functional, mechanic organ replacements and body parts.

Maybe the spectacular success of the television show and a spin off or two, made the word bionic just too trendy for the technological community. “Bionic,” with its original meaning, disappeared from technical literature in favor of Otto Schmitt’s term, “biomemetric” meaning the solution of engineering problems by imitating nature in the design of mechanical devices. Then, Janine Benyus popularized the term, “biomimicry” in her 1997 book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

Technically, the rather long phrase, “bionical creativity engineering” still retains the broad meaning of the original term bionics.   But you’re more likely to hear the terms biomemetric or biomimicry when robotic marvels like Boston Dynamics’ “Big Dog” or UVD’s Robo-Raven are discussed.

A final note on word usage. Bionics is the study of incorporating mechanical organs and body parts into living human beings. When you actually incorporate the mechanical organ or body part, you have something called a cyborg. To take some of the creepiness out of the name cyborg, remember that a heart patient with a pacemaker is, technically, a cyborg. A kidney patient, actually using a dialysis machine to assist kidney function, is a cyborg, as long as they are connected to the machine.

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What is Biorobotics?

3 April 2014

We move faster and faster into the future. Every day, we meet an endless stream of terms and phrases that have suddenly appeared to describe the new, the amazing and, sometimes, the almost indescribable.
Biorobotics is a word with a problem. No one has decided exactly what it is or what it isn’t. For sure, it’s used to describe three things.

First, biorobotics is the study and practice of making robots that imitate biological organisms. Robots like Boston Dynamics’ Big Dog, UMD Robotics’ Robo-Raven, or ROBOTNOR’s Wheeko the robotic snake are all examples of biorobotics.

But some biorobotic devices imitate things as small as, or smaller than, living cells. Imagine being able to build small robotic devices, or “nano” robots, that could be injected into a person’s bloodstream. These tiny robots would be designed to work like super antibiotics.   Once inside the body, these nano robots could cure infections almost instantly. Other nano robots of the same kind could clear clogged blood veins or even repair damaged blood vessels. These tiny ‘bots could allow a person to live years longer.

Second, biorobotics includes what is sometimes called “bionics.”   The word bionics is now used to describe the study of how to integrate mechanical robotics into human beings — like TV’s Six Million Dollar Man.   When mechanical devices are actually used to replace or improve the function of human organs, the result is a “cyborg.” Technically, something as simple as a heart patient’s pacemaker makes the user and device, together, into a cyborg.

WIKIPEDIA: Six Million Dollar Man

            Third, biorobotics also is used to describe to the study of genetic engineering. This has little to do with machines, mechanics or devices. Instead, genetic engineering is the actual design and development of new and unique living organisms. This requires an understanding of genetic material, DNA.   This, also, requires a very precise technology for arranging DNA “parts” it into new patterns or designs to produce new life forms or old life forms with new and different characteristics.  No one is able to genetically engineer even small life forms at this time.   But researchers are working toward that goal.  As a gardener, I would look forward to a really, really blue rose. (The roses on the market now that are called “blue” are actually sort of purple).

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FastRunner: A Robotic Bird Designed to Run Instead of Fly?

9 January 2014

In a DARPA-funded project, MIT was contracted to design and build a robot that runs fast and can walk through rough terrain.  So, they’re designing a robot to imitate . . . a bird? 

Yes, a bird. 

The world’s fastest running animal is a bird.  A flightless bird.   The ostrich.  In fact, the ostrich can run so fast, it’s probably never felt the need to fly.

DARPA has funded the joint effort of MIT and the Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in a project to develop a robot that walks and runs.  Past DARPA-funded projects have resulted in the quadrupedal robots, BigDog, Robo-Cheetah and the Wildcat.  But the end result of this latest effort will be the first robotic biped in the DARPA arsenal.

Robo-Ostrich is designed not just to walk, but to run and run fast.  Although the first full prototype has yet to be designed, the working computer simulation has legs and is hitting speeds of 27 mph.  Impressive considering this is about the speed of the fastest human runner – in a hundred yard dash.  But this robot could sustain that speed indefinitely.

This ‘robot ostrich’ probably will outrun you

The designers, however, aren’t satisfied with a mere 27 mph and are hoping to, eventually, develop a ‘bot that will reach a speed of 50 mph.  And the 50 mph mark would be another milestone on two counts.  First, real ostriches clock no higher than about 43 mph. And, second, real ostriches are the fastest land animals on earth.  So, the 50 mph Robo-Ostrich would not only beat the real bird, but would also beat every other land-based animal on the planet.

Although this ‘bot is formally named “FastRunner,” it has come to be known, informally, as Robo-Ostrich.  Why?  Because the only way to develop a robot that could run as fast as an ostrich was to build its legs to as closely imitate the legs of a real ostrich as possible.  And if your ostrich robot is really going to perform like an ostrich, it needs the legs and, more or less, the rest of the ostrich body to go with it. 
By the way, this is called biomimicry – designing a technology to imitate nature in order to solve a complex human problem.

This Is What DARPA’s Robot Ostrich Will Look Like

Indeed, everyone is so excited about the Robo-Ostrich’s performance that it’s easy to forget that this robot doesn’t really exist.  Right now, the ‘bot is a computer simulation, which is only about 40% complete.
However, this isn’t the “damper” it once was because modern computer simulations are remarkably good.  In fact, modern computer simulations are so good that they quite precisely predict the performance of the real things they simulate.  So, if you can “get it right” on the computer, you can break out your hammer and wrench (figuratively speaking) and start building.  But the building phase for Robo-Ostrich is still “a ways off.”

The development of Robo-Ostrich is particularly significant because this robot’s working legs will incorporate advanced technologies to maintain the robot’s balance.  In the past, designers attempted to build complex systems into robotic legs that would monitor and respond to every variation in movement on every type of terrain.  This required large, on-board computers, complex programs, and equally complex mechanics to control every aspect of simulated walking and running.

However, a new non-linear approach is being used in the development of Robo-Ostrich.  Although complicated to develop, the new system will be of a much simpler design.

To oversimplify, imagine your automobile with computers in each wheel monitoring every bump and, then, commanding the suspension system to precisely respond in order to compensate for each disruption. 
Readers familiar with automotive suspension will furrow their brow and ask, “Why?”  For almost a century, automobiles have used a spring that flexes when the wheel rolls over that speed bump (for example) and, then, returns the chassis to its original position – no computers required.

Very, very roughly, a similar set of principles are being used to develop the mechanics of Robo-Ostrich’s legs.  Though much more complex than an automobile suspension system, the goal is a relatively simple, self regulating balance mechanism that allows the ‘bot to maintain its balance as it walks over uneven surfaces.
The real ostrich can grow to a height in excess of 9 feet and weigh as much as 250 pounds.  In other words, you wouldn’t want to meet the real bird – in a bad mood — in an ally — at night.

Robo-Ostrich, however, will only measure about half the height and weight of the real bird.  This relatively “petite” size and weight produce an intended advantage. The lighter weight makes the robot faster and lowers its power requirements extending its range.

The two legged design has distinct advantages over the past quadrupedal models.  Not only is a two-legged robot lighter, but its movements are more flexible allowing it to, among other things, “get through narrower spaces” and maneuver more easily around obstacles.  With such a flexible build, this robot, like other “be-footed” robots, is designed to negotiate rough terrain that would defy a wheeled-vehicle like a jeep.  

Even on irregular surfaces, the finished ‘bot is expected to run (or walk) at a speed of 10 mph.
Although still in the design phase, everything about the development of Robo-Ostrich seems to be on track.  Still, it will be a while before we’ll see the actual two-legged bird ‘bot walking and running . . . but not flying. 

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Robo-Cheetah & its Little Sister, the Wildcat

6 February 2014

Developed for DARPA by Boston Dynamics, the robo-cheetah’s claim to fame is its speed.  Modeled after the real-life cheetah, this robot boasts a “cat-like spine,” which “flexes and extends” with the robot’s galloping stride. And it gallops — “constantly tipping forward, falling, and regaining equilibrium with every step.”  After the development of the first prototype, in 2011, it was showcased running at speeds of up to 18 mph by March of 2012.  By September, it clocked 28.3 mph – faster than the fastest human runner in a hundred-yard dash.

Of course, with all the excitement, Robo-Cheetah still had a couple issues that needed to be ironed-out before it could go bounding across a battlefield.  It was running at high speeds, but it was only running on a treadmill.  Still, it was about ready to jump off the treadmill and onto, at least, flat ground.

It’s biggest problem was that it was still “tethered” by a power cord.  In other words, it had to be plugged into a wall socket to get the juice it needed to move.   There’s no portable power pack for this ‘bot that can store enough juice to let it run free.  Portable power supplies are a big issue in robotics and one of the biggest challenges to maximum performance.  There’s a tradeoff.  You need enough power to allow the ‘bot to operate for long stretches of time.  You, also, need a power pack that’s light-weight enough for the ‘bot to carry.  But, with a light enough pack, there’s not enough power to run the ‘bot.  And, with enough power, the pack (and ‘bot) become so heavy that, now, . . . there’s not enough power.

But, soon, there were more than these technical challenges – there were challengers.   The first competitor was MIT. The Biomimetic Robotics Lab at MIT, also under the sponsorship of DARPA, was, and is, working on its own version of the robo-cheetah.  MIT is trying to recreate the running movement of the real cheetah.  They’re more public with their work.  The MIT website shows their version of Robo-Cheetah.  Their robot can’t run as fast as the Boston Dynamics model, but MIT’s model boasts a “highly efficient leg motor, imitation tendons, and a responsive tail.”  With these improvements MIT’s Robo-Cheetah has a rhythm and movement completely different from other four-legged ‘bots.

MIT’s Robo-Cheetah, also, “will” run on a battery (but it, too, is still plugged into a wall-socket).  Unlike the other Robo-Cheetah, MIT’s uses a surprisingly simple and more effective way of regulating its leg motion – one without the usual sensors and complicated computer feedback-loops that were, and are, still a common part of robotic technology.

But what’s so important about imitating a real cheetah?  The robo-cheetah is one of a group of DARPA-funded projects of applied biorobotics.  To meet DARPA’s requirements, drones must be built to perform more like . . . wildlife.  The term “biomimetics” or “biomimicry” is used to describe the development of technology designed to imitate and replicate the activities of biological systems and organisms.   But, why imitate nature?  Well, “if you want drones that work in a particular way, and the only known example of such performance is a biological organism, you’ll either have to imitate it or forget the project altogether.”

The need for walking (rather than rolling) robots is a prime example.  The jeep took “a basic automobile and raised the center of gravity, increased the size and scale of the automotive suspension system and produced spectacular off-road performance for a machine with wheels.”  But the wheel, itself, was limited.  Human beings, horses, mules, and dogs can all travel over terrain that would be impossible for any wheeled vehicle to handle.

How do you design a ‘bot that travels over rough terrain like a mule?  Well, you design it . . . like a mule.  And Boston Dynamics “Robo-Mule” (later, renamed “BigDog”) was the first in a new line of bio-inspired “walking” robots.  But, again, why a cheetah?  Is it just a cool sounding name, or the sleek look of the moving animal? No. There’s something special about cheetahs that DARPA wants to capture in robotic performance.

Robo-cheetah is being designed to move, quite specifically, like a cheetah.  Unlike Robo-Mule (“BigDog”), Robo-Cheetah is meant to be ultra-speedy and agile, able to “chase and evade” like the actual animal.  Designers are working on getting it to run at Cheetah speed, but their ultimate ambition goes much farther than that.  They hope to design a ‘bot that can run faster than any animal on earth — as fast as 70 mph.

Robo-Cheetah will have clear military applications, including emergency and disaster response.  But DARPA has hinted at performance that might improve on nature.  At least, humans might be able to do things with Robo-Cheetah you’d never try with the real thing – including uses in “advanced agriculture and vehicular travel.”  Just think.  Riding a Robo-Cheetah!

Of course, the pressure rose with two Robo-Cheetahs in development: The speedy one by Boston Dynamics and the graceful one by MIT.  But, the race got even tighter when another competitor came out of left field — the Robo-Ostrich.  Ostrich?  What’s an ostrich got to offer in this race?  It’s a bird, and it can’t even fly.  Well, fly it can’t, but maybe it doesn’t need to because the ostrich is the fastest land animal on earth.

DARPA has funded the joint effort of MIT and the Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in a project to develop a robot that walks and runs.  But the end result of this latest effort will be the first robotic biped in the DARPA arsenal.

Robo-Ostrich is designed not just to walk, but to run and run fast.  Although the first full prototype has yet to be designed, the working computer simulation has legs and is hitting speeds of 27 mph.  Impressive, again, because this is about the speed of the fastest human runner in a hundred yard dash.

Robo-Ostrich’s designers are only hoping for a maximum speed of 50 miles an hour – faster than the fastest ostrich clocked at 43 mph.  On the other hand, this is a bit slower than the 70 mph Boston Dynamics is hoping for Robo-Cheetah.   But there’s a whole ‘lot of hoping going on here.  Robo-Cheetah isn’t off the treadmill and Robo-Ostrich is a computer simulation.  Let’s just wait and see.

What’s the secret of Robo-Ostrich’s speed?  Two legs.  What’s so special about a two-legged robot?  Not only is a two-legged robot lighter than a robot with twice the legs, but its movements are more flexible allowing it to, among other things, “get through narrower spaces” and maneuver more easily around obstacles.  With such a flexible build, this robot, like other “be-footed” robots, is designed to negotiate rough terrain that would defy a wheeled-vehicle like a jeep.  Even on the most irregular surfaces, the finished ‘bot is expected to run (or walk) at a speed of 10 mph, more than twice as fast as a walking human being.

Well, with MIT pushing hard to the goal with both their robots, Robo-Cheetah and Robo-Ostrich, Boston Dynamics had to do something.  They announced their plan to take the lead in the race, by unleashing Robo-Cheetah from its treadmill.  They promised their Robo-Cheetah, unteathered, would hit the road in 2013.   And it did, but with a twist.

In 2013, the cordless “Wildcat” was shown galloping and running backward on flat terrain.  But, wait, what happened to Robo-Cheetah?  Why the little sister?

To speed up the development, Robo-Cheetah was . . . modified.  To get rid of its power cord and, then, off the treadmill and onto the ground, it had to lose some of its bulk and weight.   It also lost its electric motor and gained an internal combustion (gasoline powered) engine.   Even with the reductions in size and weight, it lost some of its treadmill speed — slowing from 28 to about 16 mph.

Now, it’s slower than the fastest human in a hundred yard dash. But, if its chasing you, you’d better get to safety in a hundred yards. Why?  Because the Wildcat will still be going strong and fast long after you’ve given out and fallen to the ground.

The Wildcat still only performs on flat terrain, but the plan is to, soon, have it walking on the same rough ground that its distant cousin the Robo-Mule/BigDog handles with ease.

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'BOT: “Alpha Dog” – “Big Dog” Goes to the Next Level

15 May 2014

 Alpha Dog Out For A Stroll

  

            As short a time as 15 years ago, it seemed almost impossible to imagine a walking robot.  At least, a robot that wasn’t an entertainment device.  Sure, you could design a device that went through all the motions of walking.  But it would walk on an ideally flat surface with no external physical interference or interaction of any kind.  Most walking robots were not so different from those animatronic devices displayed in Disneyland shows.

            As long as the environment was carefully adjusted to the limitations of a walking robot, everything would be fine.  But that’s not what DARPA wanted.  The DARPA program required a robot that could . . . really walk.  This robot’s purpose was to accompany soldiers, potentially in combat situations, as they walked through rough terrain.  Just as humans and animals adjust their walking to the terrain, so would the robot envisioned by the DARPA project. 

            In other words, DARPA wanted a robot that could, and would, walk in every sense of the word.  

 Big Dog At The Beach

            The initial project, undertaken by Boston Dynamics, resulted in the unveiling of quadruped (four-legged) “Big Dog” in 2005.  It’s funny, but there’s something almost creepy looking about Big Dog in every still shot.  But when you see it move, the creepiness disappears as the viewer clearly recognizes something “familiar” and “natural” in walking motion of the robot.   Just watching Big Dog in motion wordlessly defines the term “biomimickry” – a technology copied from (imitating) nature. 

            LS3 is the “Legged Squad Support System.”  And Big Dog was just the beginning. 

            What complex problem was this new “legged” technology designed to solve?  The Army identified “physical overburden” as major problem in warfare.  The modern soldier carries a substantial load of gear -- weighing as much as 100 pounds.  Both soldiers’ performance and readiness are impaired by the physical weight of their gear.  

Mule -- The Minimal Solution

            Well, “in the old days,” this problem was solved with a mule.   Accompanying soldiers, in the field, was a load bearing animal, a mule, which carried a lot of heavy gear leaving the soldiers less fatigued and more responsive to expected and unexpected challenges.

            In 2012, Boston Dynamic unveiled the LS3 -- “Alpha Dog” – Big Dog taken to the next level. 

   Alpha Dog

            Alpha Dog can carry a bigger load – increased from 340 to 400 pounds.   This new version is quieter making considerably less sound than the “swarm of bees sound” made by its predecessor.   While Big Dog was vulnerable to “cow tippers,” Alpha Dog and can “right” itself if tipped over. 

            Alpha Dog is also faster than its predecessor.  The robot manages a 1 to 3 mph walk over rough terrain and a 5 mph jog over relatively level surfaces.  On a flat surface, such as a roadway, Alpha Dog can reach a speed of 7 mph. 

            Put in practical terms, the goal is to develop a robot that can travel with a squad of soldiers as they complete their mission – without hindering that mission in any way.  In order to do this, Alpha Dog will have to be able to follow the squad, but with a degree of independence or autonomy. 

            While Alpha Dog will respond to voice commands, the commander cannot command Alpha Dog in its every action without the robot becoming more of a burden and less of a help to its handler.  So, Alpha Dog’s design is must incorporate certain “autonomy settings.”   These settings will include: (1) “leader-follower tight,” (2) “leader-follower corridor,” and (3) “go-to-waypoint.”

            (1) Leader-follower tight: Requires the Alpha Dog to follow the leader’s path as closely as possible. 

            (2) Leader-follower corridor: Requires Alpha Dog to “follow” the leader, but with the “freedom to make local path decisions.”  So, the leader will not have to worry or account for Alpha Dog’s mobility capabilities.  The robot can vary its path slightly to avoid obstacles or obstructions without any special intervention from the leader.

            (3)  Go-to-waypoint: Requires Alpha Dog to proceed to a particular set of GPS coordinates without a leader – avoiding obstacles on its own.

            A reasonable question: How can it do these things unless it can see?

            Well, for its own purposes, it can see.

            Alpha Dog has a “stereo” vision system.  First, it has a pair of cameras mounted into its “head.”  Second, each camera focuses on the same object or location from a slightly different angle – like human vision.  The angle to which each camera must adjust to focus on a distant object or location, discloses the depth, or distance, of that object or point.  

            But Alpha Dog also has a LIDAR detecting and ranging system.  LIDAR is just a combination of the words “light” and “radar,” but is often assumed to be an acronym for “LIght Detection And Ranging.” (A useful factoid when you are trying to locate resources about this technology.)  Not only does the LIDAR system help Alpha Dog follow a human lead, but also records intelligence data directly from its environment.

            This type of sophisticated, simulated vision is necessary to allow Alpha Dog to meet another basic DARPA project requirement.  Without the “perception” capability to detect and judge both distance and grade, this robot wouldn’t be able to “walk” up and down hills.

            In terms of communication, Alpha Dog can’t give orders, but will be able to take orders.  Voice recognition technologies allow squad members to use direct spoken commands to which this robot responds.

            It seems almost anticlimactic to add that Alpha Dog will be equipped with technologies to recharge batteries.  (It’s almost like saying the ‘bot can, also, open soup cans.)  But a mobile auxiliary power source is important to a squad in the field.  We are talking about batteries that power radios and other handheld technologies used by squad members on patrol.

            There will be “more.”  DARPA’s final goals for the perfected ‘bot will include a much larger load-carrying capacity.  The current 400 pound maximum will need to increase to 1,000 pounds – the weight of the gear required by a nine-man infantry squad on a 3 day mission.  Although Alpha Dog’s walking speed is about to par, its range will have to increase to allow the ‘bot to walk at about two-and-a-half mph for 8 hours.  Also, the ‘bot must be able to “burst” into 220 yard sprints at a speed of about 24 mph.  

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AD V http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40gECrmuCaU

AD V TAKE ORDERS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNUeSUXOc-w

AlphaDog, U.S. Marines Robot Pack Animal - Legged Squad Support

Won’t tip --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr-wBpYpSfE

BD V OVERVIEW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ

BC  V EVOLUTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMVg5ixhd0

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