So we recently saw Boston Dynamics updated Cheetah robot which is now capable of outrunning humans, and now we have video of the latest improvements to their DARPA funded Alpha Dog robot. Alpha Dog is slower than Cheetah because it is built for different tasks. For one thing, it will carry a soldier’s load on just about any difficult terrain.
The latest updates to the robotic mule include reducing the noise it produces to just 10% of past models. It’s still not quiet at all, really, but it’s an improvement. It won’t be doing anything stealthy any time soon.
The robots are designed to work as a sort of mechanical herd, so they have improved their ability to work together. Now the herd will follow in the designated leader’s footsteps better than ever. In the words of just about every Doctor from Doctor Who… “run!”
[via Geekosystem]
We have seen smart homes, smart cars, and smart windows; and many of us use smartphones these days, but what about a smart rubbish bin? The Netherlands will host a bunch of intelligent bins which will require you to present your ID before it accepts rubbish. Not only that, this intelligent robot bin will also inform municipal trucks that they need to be emptied. Just how many of these intelligent bins will be scattered across the Netherlands? We are looking at a cool 6,000 or so units, where green think tank Environmental Resource Management claimed that Gronigen, one of the cities involved in this project, will save £72,000 within the first year of operation while reducing its carbon footprint by 18%.
Robots seem to pervade 