Boston Dynamics New Robot Walks Like An Actual Person
October 29th, 2009 9:20 AM | by Steve Anderson | No Comments
So originally I was going to write about India’s newfound fascination with the road spike, but then I thought better of it and discovered that Boston Dynamics was actually well on its way to making Terminators.
Aren’t you glad I didn’t go with the road spike story?
Anyway, Boston Dynamics has developed a class of robot, the Petman, that “closely mirrors human physiology”. It’s currently being used to test chemical warfare suits, and therefore controls movement, humidity, and even a kind of sweating to get the closest possible approximation of how the gear will work with humans. Here’s word direct from Boston Dynamics:
“Natural, agile movement is essential for PETMAN to simulate how a soldier stresses protective clothing under realistic conditions. The robot will have the shape and size of a standard human, making it the first anthropomorphic robot that moves dynamically like a real person.”
I don’t know whether to be impressed or horrified, so I’m going with both. It MOVES…like a real PERSON. I’m always a little squeamish when people talk about robots that look, act, or behave like people. Too much bad science fiction growing up, I suppose, but it always seems like robot assassins are never too far behind that development.
Tags: Boston Dynamics, chemical warfare, dynamic movement, human approximation, Petman, robot
