Do not kick the dog

[martinw]

Do not kick the dog. In six months, it will draw a very large weapon and shoot you between the eyes....

http://www.physorg.com/news125813276.html

Best wishes,

Martin

[fizzissist]

Now THAT's a dog I could love!!

[martinw]

Originally Posted by fizzissist Now THAT's a dog I could love!!

Dear fizzissist,

Me too...

It does seem to be a bit more noisy than I would prefer however.

I just hated the guy kicking it though, and the way it climbed to its feet on ice. Bless..

Best wishes,

Martin

[martinw]

Originally Posted by fizzissist Now THAT's a dog I could love!!

Dear fizzissist,

One of the things that bemuses me about the BigDog is that the front couple of legs point backwards, rather like a pantomine horse with both actors with their heads together. Any take on why front legs reaching forward were not chosen as an alternative?

Best wishes,

Martin

[fizzissist]

Looks to me like a great mechanical approach for the application. The dog really is a great design platform!

What really impresses me though is the input response time. I love the way the computer processes the feedback, and servos respond. Did I read hydraulics?

Mechanically, I'd love to see the shoulder joints and actuators.

[martinw]

Dear fizzissist,

In the case of this prototype, the hydraulic power probably came from a two-stroke chainsaw motor judging by the noise. The "Defence" version will have an identical motor that costs at least two thousand times as much and local garages will not be given the chance to fix them. Or maybe they will...
If the dog can recover from a brutal kick by that nasty human on an icy surface, he may just be able to offer a credit card to get a quick service..

Best wishes,

Martin