Real World Metal Gear
by Patrick Steen on June 11, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Ever thought a tank on legs would look stupid and too far fetched to be made real? Yes, we’ve seen legged robots that are able to keep themselves upright, but give them a poke or a sharp incline and they are far from agile. However, the days of Metal Gear are closing in on us. Follow the link for a video of the incredible quadruped robot, BigDog.
This advanced robot, with suitable Metal Gear Solid name, is a sight to behold. It appears to share uncanny similarities to the dystopian Gear depicted in Kojima’s MGS series, such as Crying Wolf from MGS4’s Beauty and the Beast Corp.
Sporting four legs, BigDog can walk, run, climb on rough terrain and carry heavy loads. The quadruped robot is being developed by Boston Dynamics with the aim to create a rough-terrain mobility robot.
BigDog’s articulated legs are so shockingly animal-like in their balance and agility, matched by the on-board computer’s decision making on differing surfaces, that you might mistake it for MGS4’s creepy Gekko’s. In fact, filter the buzz coming from the petrol engine that drives the hydraulic actuation system, turn it into a moo or howl and you’re surely in Snake’s world now.
Imagine a pack of these things galloping towards you in the battlefield… Cure your fear by watching the less agile and pedestrian BigDog Beta:
Source: Boston Dynamics
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on June 11, 2008 8:54 pm
DARPA EXISTS?!?!! Hahaha!
on June 12, 2008 4:18 am
Yes lol I forgot to add that BigDog is funded by DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Project Agency…which also exists in MGS…hmm…things are starting to get scary.
on June 21, 2008 12:06 pm
First of all; Of course DARPA exists. That’s like saying “omg Alaska exists!? That was in MGS too!!”
BigDog looks like crap, but it’s definitely a huge leap forward in robotics and I look forward to seeing what it’s descendents will looks like and what they can do in a few years time. Not launching nukes with their railguns, I hope.
If you like this, check this out: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=109_1195663753
A step towards Gray Fox’s exoskeleton. Which is awesome.
on June 22, 2008 12:24 am
Why would you say “Of course DARPA exists” like everyone knows that? You can’t compare DARPA to Alaska! They don’t teach you about DARPA in elementary school. Not everything in Metal Gear is real, you know. Is there really a FOX HOUND unit (actually, there probably is)? Is Metal Gear REX real?
on June 22, 2008 10:01 am
Metal Gear Solid gave birth to the world, not the other way around ;)
on June 27, 2008 12:13 pm
whats scary is that bigdog beta looks and acts like 2 guys legs attached to a central computer, thats what would happen if you and your buddy were in a horse costume or something and you got pushed over, the current BigDog responds better than humans do