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AIBO: Move over,
little dog…
(click to view full)

Small business qualifier Boston Dynamics, Inc. in Waltham, MA has received a $10 million completion-type, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to build a dog-like robot with the capability to run fast, traverse trough terrain, jump over obstacles 1 meter (40”) tall or 2 meters wide, and operate for 2 hours without refueling. The goal of this effort is to create legged robots that mimic animal structure, mechanics and control, in order to achieve animal-like strength, speed and mobility. The priority application is a robot that could eventually accompany Marines and other troops in the field as a load-carrier across nearly any terrain. This 15-month contract also includes 3 one-year options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $40 million if exercised.

Sony’s AIBO electro-pet may be in CMU’s Robot Hall of Fame, but it doesn’t perform at this level. So, what is Boston Dynamics’ entry like – and how has it performed to date?

…a big, old dog
is movin’ in
(click to view full)

BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter/40” long, 0.7 meters/ 28” tall and 75 kg/ 165 pounds weight. The robot is powered by a gasoline engine driving a hydraulic actuation system; its legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next just as animals and humans do. An on-board computer controls locomotion and handles a wide variety of sensors including joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a laser gyroscope, a stereo vision system; as well as monitors for hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine temperature, rpm, battery charge, et. al.

So far, BigDog has trotted at 3.3 mph/ over 5 kph, climbed a 35 degree slope, and carried a 120 lb load. See this YouTube video, and Boston Dynamics’ page for their BigDog robot in order to get a better idea.

The BigDog program is not new, but it appears to be reaching a more advanced stage. BigDog is being developed with help from QinetiQ’s Foster Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.

July 12/07: Small business qualifier Boston Dynamics, Inc. has received a $10 million completion-type, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to build a dog-like robot with the capability to run fast, traverse trough terrain, jump over obstacles 1 meter (40”) tall or 2 meters wide, and operate for 2 hours without refueling.

This 15-month contract also includes 3 one-year options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $40 million if exercised. It was awarded under a Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Broad Area Announcement No. 06-19, which solicited proposals for research and development under the provision of FAR 6.102(d)(2) and FAR 35. The BAA was published via the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, on February 8, 2006. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego, CA issued this contract (N66001-07-C-2029).