Back in December 2013, we reported that Google was set to help bankroll the robot uprising with its investment in Boston Dynamics, an advanced robotics firm developing machines that can walk, run, and pounce too naturally for comfort. Now, in a recently released YouTube video, the robots appear to be learning the art of war, working hand in robotic hand (or foot?) with US Marines in a field exercise.Walking through thick tropical brush like a mechanical pet that never quits, the L3 military model (similar to the Big Dog) is seen trotting around with its Marine handlers, carrying industrial cannisters of water. In the video, Lance Corporal Brandon Dieckman of the Leg Squad Support System says it's a strange feeling to think he's one of the first US Marines to field test a robot companion."Just working with robotics," says Dieckman, "it's not really something that I envisioned doing at any point, or working with any kind of experimental technology."According to Dieckman, the noisy machine was able to make it through territory that all terrain vehicles would never have been able to drive through. Which isn't all that surprising considering that the L3 stomps around like a mule and can carry 400 pounds of army gear, with enough fuel for a 20 mile mission over the course of 24 hours. Oh, and it also follows a designated leader through computer vision technology, so no driver or remote operator is required.You can tell the bulky robot is an early prototype, for several reasons. First off, the sound doesn't belie a stealthy army vehicle aiding in covert ops or even conventional offensives by ground forces looking to maintain their covert positions. More likely, this puppy could be used for long offensives, where position isn't as critical, relieving soldiers from carrying extra ammo or things like water, as it does in the video.
Soldiers constantly complain about extra weight and long unforgiving ruck marches with over 100 pounds of gear strapped to their backs. BigDog could go a long way in helping change that by carrying those extra pounds. And it's not the first time the army has considered futuristic tech to relieve soldier fatigue. Army exoskeletons to enable near super-strength and added physical performance have already been developed.In a time where soldiers will soon be expected to operate quadcoptor drones in the field, or shoot laser cannons out of humvees, one has to think that the possibilities for companion robots attached to platoons are endless.While the robot might not be completely up to snuff just yet, it's really only a matter of time until they become quieter, more compact, and-or weaponized. In other words, when will the army mount a .50 caliber M60 onto the robot's back and send it hunting for Taliban soldiers?
Advertisement