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New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

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Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#41

Post by microcentury »

rokhayakebe wrote: post #11

i think we are in deep shit. there is no way that such robots paired with artificial intelligence do not take over the world. we are a few years away from it. humans will self destruct not by killing each other, but by creating robots that will be out of control.

I'm just glad we get to see in advance what will be chasing us through the woods in a few years, the thum-thum thum-the-thum music playing the background, firing M15 bursts over our shoulders before the camera pans to the blackened sky.

It's going to be sweet.

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#42

Post by s3graham »

Wow, really impressive. The ice was amazing (though as someone with bad knees, transferred anthropomorphization makes me cringe).

Does anyone know why 4 legs was chosen? 4 seems better than 2 for stabilization, but why not 5, or 6, or 8? Maybe looking like a familiar friendly animal is an end goal?

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#44

Post by jrsims »

cheponis wrote: post #34

I worked on the original hopping/jumping/running robots at CMU and later MIT with Marc Raibert. I can assure you that everything done was above-board, published, and open. Dr. Raibert is one of those rare scientist/engineer/entrepreneur types who is interested in progress for people. He was asked by DARPA to develop this vehicle, so he wanted to help them out. The Sci-Fi stuff in these comments are, well, crazy.

Well, thank goodness for Dr. Raibert. And while we're at it, thank goodness for Albert Einstein.

It's the people who would exploit the technology developed by these benign characters that frightens me.

So it is perfectly reasonable to be paranoid about emerging technologies that have the capacity for great good or great evil.

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#45

Post by kingnothing »

s3graham wrote: post #42

Wow, really impressive. The ice was amazing (though as someone with bad knees, transferred anthropomorphization makes me cringe). Does anyone know why 4 legs was chosen? 4 seems better than 2 for stabilization, but why not 5, or 6, or 8? Maybe looking like a familiar friendly animal is an end goal?

Probably better for it to look like a friendly animal than a giant spider, although that could be nice from an intimidating militaristic point of view...

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#46

Post by Hexstream »

mattjones wrote: post #24

This excites me. If they become common, people are going to spend a lot of time exploring the world -- an antidote to sitting behind your laptop all day. These things would make great pack animals. When you go hiking, you'll be able to toss your gear into one of these things and have it trot along behind you. You'll be able to take more risks because robots will be able to rescue you from tight places. If you get tir…

"You'll be able to take more risks because robots will be able to rescue you from tight places."

"In other news, the number of accidents this year has boomed because of the carelessness induced by the presence of friendly robots."

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#47

Post by henning »

ericb wrote: post #29

One thing that struck me was when it was kicked or almost fell, I felt a little bad for it. I can see where the general public might someday award robots rights because we instinctually anthropomorphize them. I felt silly--I "know" it's just software, but what about the rest of the world with the same instincts and no understanding that's it's mindless code?

I felt kind of bad in Trevor Blackwell's latest video where he was stopping Dexter from moving towards him. :(

I started constructing dialogs in my head along the lines of "Father, why don't you love me?"

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#48

Post by ivankirigin »

henning wrote: post #47
ericb wrote: post #29

One thing that struck me was when it was kicked or almost fell, I felt a little bad for it. I can see where the general public might someday award robots rights because we instinctually anthropomorphize them. I felt silly--I "know" it's just software, but what about the rest of the world with the same instincts and no understanding that's it's mindless code?

I felt kind of bad in Trevor Blackwell's latest video where he was stopping Dexter from moving towards him. :( I started constructing dialogs in my head along the lines of "Father, why don't you love me?"

dexter: "one day, old man, you'll pay for this"

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#49

Post by coffeeaddicted »

jbrun wrote: post #39

That is crazy. It is almost like a real dog - which are free. The real future is with genetically engineered dogs, horses... to run faster, cary heavy loads etc. We have already done it through selective breeding and soon we will be able to program DNA (see Craig Venter, Dawkins...). These robots are so mechanically complex that they will ultimately fail. Nature (evolution) is the greatest designer. What complex robo…

You just did see a video of one of the most advanced prototypes(!) of a robot and you think it will fail because such things are not yet seen in mass market? Somehow that made me smile :)

Re: New Video of BigDog Quadruped Robot Is So Stunning It's Spooky

#50

Post by nazgulnarsil »

1gor wrote: post #30
nazgulnarsil wrote: post #18

It's getting scary. It's not that we're going to have robots going haywire and killing people on its own. It's that the elite crust of humanity is going to use it againstt us. Think blackwater is bad now? How about when they're not even human beings? The thing keeping the elites in check for all of human history has been that they can't get too crazy or their own soldiers will mutiny. Hitler was a study in charismati…

What's scary is how much this comment reminds me of Reddit...

I understand, i'm usually against conspiracy theory bullshit myself. using robots on the battlefield is the only subject I get a little spooked over.
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