Re:Boston Dynamics CEO talks profitability and the company’s...
by Animats on Wednesday September 16, 2020 @01:42PM
(#24495118)
That just seems to move along in little tiny steps. No balance or slip recovery shown. That's the wind-up toy level of walking.[1]
Still, it shouldn't be that hard to make a small version of Big Dog technology now. They put a lot of money into fast hydraulic servos, which you no longer need for anything smaller than a horse. Gyros and accelerometers are cheap now, because they're phone parts. Motors and motor controllers are much better and cheaper now.
Big Dog's compute power was a Pentium 4, which is nothing today. Force feedback sensors for the feet are still expensive, because there's no mass market. You need those for slip control.
Still, it shouldn't be that hard to make a small version of Big Dog technology now. They put a lot of money into fast hydraulic servos, which you no longer need for anything smaller than a horse. Gyros and accelerometers are cheap now, because they're phone parts. Motors and motor controllers are much better and cheaper now. Big Dog's compute power was a Pentium 4, which is nothing today. Force feedback sensors for the feet are still expensive, because there's no mass market. You need those for slip control.
[1] https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wind-Up-Wooly-Walker/194850858