Creepy DARPA robots

This is a robot created by DARPA. DARPA is always up to some insane project, like bio-engineering soldiers to jump 20 feet high or, as in the video above, creating robots that can walk through snow, rocks, mud, and puddles and even keeping their balance after receiving a hard shove.

If you're familiar with the history of Artificial Intelligence research, you'll know that the capabilities of this robot is leaps and bounds beyond the stuff from the past. Of course, give it 10 or 20 years and we'll be laughing at primitive robots like these since we ourselves will by cyborg half-breeds.

But right now - damn, that thing creeps me out!



Here's the official description:

"The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth
BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog's legs are articulated like an animal's, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next."