Boston Dynamics is Awesome.

I've been coming across videos of the work of Boston Dynamics over the last few years. They're robot builders working for DARPA and have developed some every interesting prototypes. First up is Big Dog, the robot reincarnation of the Army mule.

As with all these toys range will be a problem, not to mention river crossings. Over at Wikipedia they reference the continuing use of mules for transport in Afghanistan, giving the company a metric to work for. I seem to remember that during the Civil War a balance had to be achieved between the need of wagon trains to carry their own forage, balanced against payload. What will be the electronic equivalent? 

I just finished reading the Small Wars Manual that was compiled by the Marines in 1940. Dependence on mules in America's small wars of the twentieth century is given through coverage. I'll return to this subject when I do a book report in future. Here's the Ninth Cavalry, in an engraving from a Fredrick Remington illustration. Today they fly scout helicopters, but during the Indian Wars on the northern plains it was horses and mules.

Next up is their Petman, a biped that's the great grand dad of R. Daneel Olivaw. Another beast of burden now, but soon?

Sitting around the Thanksgiving table in 2000 my Mom marveled that we had come this far, all our lives the year 2000 was a number science fiction writers played with. Well Mom, here we are. JimG33