Do They Shoot Robot Horses?

[jyl]

The robotic horse/mule being developed for the Marines has been canned. Apparently it was too noisy (being gasoline powered). In one video I found, it did sound like a gas lawnmower.

Robot Mule Put Out to Pasture by Marine Corps - NBC News

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/g1345/the-day-the-marines-met-their-robotic-mule/?

I always thought this was a super cool concept. The LS3 could carry 400 lb of supplies and semi-automously follow troops across rough terrain for days. I don't know if it could carry wounded soldiers or be ridden, but that would seem a logical extension. Seemed like a future robotic mule could have been armed with a weapon too heavy for a man to carry - a TOW missile, mortar, 50 cal machine gun - and aimed/fired via something like a milspec Google Glass.

Maybe a hybrid powertrain would have done the trick?. Small and very quiet gasoline motor charges batteries, like a Chevy Volt, and the mule can switch off the gas motor and run on battery for "quiet mode"?

What uses of robots do you expect to see in ground combat, let's say in 10 years?. Squad level aerial drones? Robot horses? I guess we already have bomb squad robots. How about exoskeletons (powered suits)?

[cstreit]

No way to make it electric?

[tcar]

Originally Posted by cstreit

No way to make it electric?

Sure, but the 400 pounds it carries are mostly it's own batteries.

[Arizona_928]

More mufflers? Hahaha

[aigel]

Those walking machines are creepy. I guess not as efficient as their living counterparts. What I love is when they try to kick them over or put them on an icy surface and they catch themselves in movements that look very natural.

DARPA funds "far out" stuff. I would not expect any program they fund to result directly in new technology int he field. Maybe 20 years out some of the advancements will lead to new technology int he field.

You have to ask yourself what's wrong with a horse, llama or even a few goats? They also stay with you. Self feed and carry 25% of their body weight. In a bind, you can even have an emergency food supply.

I have seen research where they were developing artificial noses to find contraband / bombs etch. Much easier to get a dog, train it and use it for 10 years. Of course, we think ONE DAY we will be making better noses than our dog's. I will not see that day and I am pretty sure my children won't either.

G

[jyl]

I suppose you can keep the robot horse powered down in storage, drop it from an aircraft, control it remotely, use it as an electric generator, etc.

I don't understand why it needs to constantly be stepping, even when stationary.

Gas engines have to run all the time, a gas-electric hybrid can run the gas engine only when needed and either move on battery power or sit quietly the rest of the time.

The volume taken up by the LS3's internals seems pretty big. The entire powertrain, battery and fuel tank of my Prius would fit in that thing's body with room to spare. I'm thinking a small generator (like a little Honda size), a fuel tank, and a bunch of LiIon batteries would take up less space.

It would be interesting to have the biological and mechanical compete. Breed and/or genetically engineer and/or surgically modify a living mule to have more endurance, more load carrying ability, no vocal cords, etc.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Our tax dollars at work.

From 2008




Earlier this year

[GH85Carrera]

In every movie or TV show the robots have some sort of magical power source that is simply beyond any physics that we can even fathom. In the Star Treck 2nd Generation commander Data was super human strong and I don't ever remember one seeing him re-charge or need more energy. Terminator had two power sources that were darn near a nuke bomb worth or power.

The reality is is takes a lot of energy to move and a sustained 1HP for a week. We are a long way from independently moving robots.

It was worth the effort to try to make a mechanized "mule" but if nothing else it shows how far we have to go to make a useful one a reality.

[unclebilly]

My daughter wants a horse and we will probably get her one in 5 or so years. These seem like WAY less work...

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

In every movie or TV show the robots have some sort of magical power source that is simply beyond any physics that we can even fathom. In the Star Treck 2nd Generation commander Data was super human strong and I don't ever remember one seeing him re-charge or need more energy. Terminator had two power sources that were darn near a nuke bomb worth or power.

The reality is is takes a lot of energy to move and a sustained 1HP for a week. We are a long way from independently moving robots.

It was worth the effort to try to make a mechanized "mule" but if nothing else it shows how far we have to go to make a useful one a reality.

Actually, DARPA is funding some pretty cool energy conversion projects as well. I cant get into details but one project in particular would allow for virtually endless power supply and is not a perpetual motion machine - this is really cool.

[GH85Carrera]

I hope they can find that magic power source. Put it in a cheap car and make billions. I will believe it when I see it.

[sand_man]

Good gawd, I was being chased by one of those in a nightmare

[sand_man]

the funny fail video from the OP's linked article:

[sand_man]

And don't forget your Old Glory Robot Insurance Policy:

[tadd]

A hydrocarbon (methane or propane) fuel cell would be stellar here. That is assuming they can quiet the actuators which I would assume is just an engineering problem.

Issue with HC fuel cells is catalyst poisoning. Cant get the sulfur out clean enough. Hence why the only fuel cells in real use are hydrogen. Easy to generate that clean.

Darpa is a basic research agency, so they have actually carried the baton very far to a field tested unit.

I would consider the program to be VERY successful given Darpa's mission space. It can now be picked up by another .gov agency and developed into something actually suitable for inventory. Boston dynamics may not do the work, but you'll see something like it in 10 years I'd bet.

[GH85Carrera]

A Hydrogen sell is great if you has a source of LOTS of energy to make the hydrogen. How in the world will they refuel that out in the field.

Maybe when we can bend the rules of thermodynamics to fit our needs, or maybe tap into the dark energy that is the main part of the universe or maybe flying unicorns.

It will happen someday, but not anytime soon.

[tadd]

GH:
I'm confused...???

Propane or CNG would be easy to fuel. Just screw on a new BBQ tank. Its done all the time by 'everybody'. Hell, propane as a transportation fuel is way way safer than gasoline... over a large number of factors. A few off the top of my head include the strength of a standard DOT rated propane tank vs a DOT gasoline tank, there is no pool of liquid to keep producing vapor after a tank rupture since propane needs pressure to stay liquefied.

As for hydrogen, the only way we would ever have hydrogen as a fundamental transportation fuel source is if we as a nation had major excess nuke capacity (for the heat).

[vash]

man..not so sure i could have kept my mouth shut at that meeting.

all the generals sitting around a table. two words, "robot horses".

my eye rolling and guffaw would have landed me in assembly line next to bug bunny hitting those bombs with the hammer,,

[sand_man]

huh:

About Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics is wholly owned subsidiary of Google, Inc. We began as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where National Academy of Engineering member Marc Raibert and his colleagues first developed robots that ran and maneuvered like animals.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by cstreit

No way to make it electric?