If that BigDog robot from Boston Dynamics didn’t amaze and/or horrify you, maybe its human-like big brother “PETMAN” will catch your attention.
I, for one, like that the torso section of PETMAN looks like a sweet boom box and I hope that someday Boston Dynamics sees fit to let the robot loose in the business district of a small town, just walking around and taking in the scenery while pumping out some old-school rap.
And I mean really old-school, like the kind they used to use for break dancing. All the townspeople would be like, “Hey, check out that walking boom box! It has red shoes! Try to push it over! You can’t! Why is it walking towards me?! Nice boom box! Niiice boom box!”
According to the company, PETMAN will be used to test chemical protection clothing for the U.S. Army – not for scaring various townspeople:
“PETMAN is an anthropomorphic robot for testing chemical protection clothing used by the US Army. Unlike previous suit testers, which had to be supported mechanically and had a limited repertoire of motion, PETMAN will balance itself and move freely; walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics during exposure to chemical warfare agents. PETMAN will also simulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary, all to provide realistic test conditions.”
Let’s be honest, though. There’s no reason you couldn’t test chemical protection clothing AND walk around the town square blasting some Grandmaster Flash. Oh, except for the whole “exposure to chemical warfare agents” part. You know what? Forget the boom box thing.
PETMAN – BigDog gets a Big Brother [Boston Dynamics via Geekologie]