Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The U.S. Marines Headless Miniature Pony Robot



Meet The Marines' Humdrum Toy: A Headless Miniature Pony Robot -- The Atlantic

More than a decade of research has gone into creating the Legged Squad Support System, which is equal parts endearing and terrifying.

The future doesn't always arrive with a gasp and a boom like Skynet in Terminator. No, sometimes it's more like Office Space.

At least that's the idea I get watching this video of the Marines' testing the Legged Squad Support System. DARPA built the LS3 to act as an autonomous pack horse that "can carry 400 lbs of a squad’s load, follow squad members through rugged terrain and interact with troops in a natural way, similar to a trained animal and its handler."

Its headless form has always disturbed me in its ... headlessness. (Like, did Haruki Murakami design these things in a fever dream? Robots galloping across the plains.)

Read more ....

More News On The LS3

This Massive Robot Could Soon Join Marines on the Battlefield -- Defense One
The Marines Are Building Headless, Robotic Pack Mules. Here's a Better Idea. -- Slate
The Day the Marines Met Their Robotic Mule -- Popular Mechanics
Marines test giant autonomous headless horsebot -- ZDNet

My Comment: This robot is still too loud.

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