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Robot Dog Takes to the Battlefield

Andrew Price
By Andrew PriceFeb 25, 2009
Andrew Price
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The BigDog, a creepy, headless robotic dog thing developed by Boston Dynamics, is being looked at for military applications (what cool new technology isn't?). Here's new video from the U.S. Army's cable-access-quality Benning Report:[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZj9qKXetwgYou might want the robot to be a little quieter-the BigDog sounds like a lawnmower-and it'd be nice if it could stand still without constantly tapdancing around. We assume those kinks will be worked out before it hits the battlefield. But in general, how do we feel about semi-autonomous robots playing a non-violent role in war like this?For more on the question see the GOOD video series on military robots or defense/war expert P.W. Singer talking about robots in war on The Daily Showhere and on Democracy Now!here.

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