BigDog, the four-legged robot
He knows almost everything. Walking on the roughest terrain, climb hills at 35 ° tilt, transport his 140 pounds of equipment in the snow or mud. It even happens to restore balance (see video) when sliding on a patch of ice.
BigDog is the "most advanced quadruped robot in the world", created by Boston Dynamics , as part of a program of DARPA (the agency of the Department of Defense of the United States is responsible for research and development of new technologies in military use).
In 2009, another step is taken in robotics field testing with active conflict, a remote-controlled robot. I must say that it is a champion in the field because it can make points with 6.5 km / h and beat the world record of talk without stopping browsing 20 km at a speed of 4 km / h. The "Big Dog" of 75 kg, which actually looks like a mule with four jointed legs equipped with actuators and many sensors, will therefore become the tireless companion of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, however, not ultra discreet with the noise of a lawn mower.
This is the war in Iraq has boosted the market for robots: they are more effective under certain conditions and can even save lives (depending which side one takes, of course). As explained in a report by Rue89 , "the appearance of these robots is the inevitable prelude to a revolution in the" art "of war, a turning point comparable to the discovery of the powder. For the fine line between a simple order given by a remote control robot ("Tire in that direction") and a more complex order ("Enter the building and kill everything that is alive and that is more than 1.30 meters ")."
And discuss the problem of artificial intelligence of the future, just as valid for the beasts of battle androids for civilians, "Even if it is not for today, the issue of empowering robots will eventually by asking. And with it, the programming of "moral limits" to its own decisions. "In Focus, looming so the three laws of robotics Asimov and difficult issues of ethics and politics. (See " The first ethical code for robots is born ")
As long as the robots will fight them, we count the points!
The problem is when they will be sent against the men, with their relentless programming. They will not read in the eyes of the man in front of them, and forgive as a soldier can forgive his enemies when he holds at the end of his bayonet.
It's scary