14 DAY TRIAL // The new invention from Boston Dynamics may or may not be a real-life “translation” of the Dog from Half-Life 2, that robot that tossed crates at Gordon Freeman in order to help him hone his gravity gun.
Called BigDog, the rough-terrain robot is more of a mule or donkey in role and capabilities.
We say this because mules are, or at one point were, the type of animals normally used to carry baggage across mountain paths.
At any rate, BigDog has gained the ability to toss around cinderblocks by means of a front-mounted arm.
For something that could already run at four miles per hour, stay balanced on rough terrain even when kicked in the figurative shin (ice, mud, snow, rubble) and climb 35-degree slopes, this is quite an accomplishment.
