Evolution of Boston Dynamic’s

Boston Dynamics is either a pioneering robotics company helping to lead in a technological revolution or a sign of the coming robot apocalypse! Over the last decade, Boston Dynamics has built some of the most impressive robots in the world that can run, jump, and even dance better than some of us humans.

Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992. The company started off by creating realistic 3D computer simulations for aircraft launch operations for the Navy. But not long after, they started making physical robots. The first robot Boston Dynamics created was the BigDog in 2005. The robot was designed to be able to carry heavy gear for soldiers, in terrains too rough for vehicles. Instead of wheels, it had four legs, allowing it to move across surfaces that would defeat wheels. BigDog was 3 feet long and stood 2.5 feet tall, making it about the size of a small mule. Despite appearing absurdly awkward in early videos posted by Boston Dynamics' YouTube channel, the robot was surprisingly proficient at keeping its legs under itself. Even when it was kicked by its tester, the BigDog did not fall. Let’s just hope the robot will not take revenge on humans for this kick… BigDog was able to carry 340 pounds and climb at a 35 degree incline. It was constantly tested by the military to make sure it could be used in combat. In 2010, BigDog was improved; it could run at 5 miles per hour and handle different terrains. Nonetheless, the Robot still appeared very awkward, and I couldn’t stop laughing at a comment on their YouTube video.

Throughout the years, Boston Dynamics kept testing and improving BigDog. Multiple iterations were made, including LittleDog, which just looks like a legged WiFi router; BigDog Olé, which hopefully one day can replace the tortured bulls in Spain; The Christmas versions of BigDog, which are putting reindeer out of their jobs; AlphaDog, which could carry 400 pounds of payload on 20-mile missions in rough terrain; and in 2012, the latest generation known as the Legged Squad Support System or LS3 was developed. It was a significant upgrade compared to BigDog and could operate in hot, cold, wet, and dirty environments. It could also run faster at 7 miles per hour and was roughly 10 times quieter. Despite improving BigDog and investing millions at the end of 2015, the BigDog project was discontinued. The reason was that the robot was too noisy for use in combat, which I can easily understand for the first iteration since it sounded like a swarm of bees. But even the latest generation the LS3 wasn’t quiet enough for military use.

In 2013, BigDog received an arm. It showed the world how Robots could take over the world by throwing bricks at humans. In 2009, Boston Dynamics started working on a human-like robot named PETMAN. The robot could walk at 3.2 miles per hour. PETMAN has “hydraulic actuators,” which act as muscles. In total, PETMAN has 30 hydraulic actuators. In 2011, PETMAN received a significant upgrade and could, besides walking, also do squats and push-ups. It’s already doing better than my gym attempts! PETMAN, which stands for Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin, was developed for the U.S. Army who planned to use the robot to test chemical suits and additional protective gear used by troops. It had to be capable of moving just like a real soldier, with walking, running, bending, reaching, and crawling. But to make it even more human-like, it also changes the skin temperature and sweats.