Bigdog, the four-legged robot

He knows almost everything. Walking on the roughest terrain, climb hills of 35 ° tilt, transport his 140 pounds of equipment, in snow or mud. He even manages to restore balance (see video) when he slips 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 which is responsible for research and development of new technologies in military use).

In 2009, another step is taken in robotics field testing in active conflict, a remote controlled robot. Admittedly, this is a champion in the field, because it can make spikes to 6.5 km / h and broke the world record by browsing autonomy without stopping 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 thus become the tireless companion of American soldiers in Afghanistan, though not ultra discreet , with his lawn mower noise.

This is the war in Iraq has boosted the market for robots: they are more effective in certain conditions and can even save lives (depending which side one takes, of course). As explained by a story of Rue 89 , "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 gunpowder. Because the fine line between a simple order given by a remote control robot ("Tire in that direction") and a higher order complex ("Enter into this 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, equally valid for quadrupeds than for combat androids civilians: "Even if it is not for today, the issue of empowering robots will eventually by asking. And with it, that 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 ")