Boston Dynamics is developing the LS3 robot cargo carrier, based on their Big Dog project. Designed to carry 400lbs (181kg) and fuel for 24 hours of operation, while covering 20 miles and following a person using its vision system or navigating to a GPS location. LS3 stands for Legged Squad Support System, and looks a lot like a miniature Star Wars Walker. The first ‘walk’ is due in 2012 and is funded by DARPA and the US Marine Corps with a $32 million 30-month contract.
The LS3 is based on the original Big Dog that has 4 articulated legs, with shock absorbers and energy recycling (a bit like a very high-tech Prius!). The Big Dog can crawl at 0.2ms-1, trot at 1.6ms-1 (3.5 mph), and run at 2ms-1 (4.4 mph). The Big Dog weighs about 109 kg (240 lbs), is about 1m (3’3”) tall, 1.1m (3’7”) long, and 0.3m (1’) wide.
The Big Dog has a 15hp internal combustion engine that drives a hydraulic pump system for motion and has traveled 12.4 miles (20kms) in testing. Over 50 sensors measure acceleration, joint motion and position, joint force, ground contact load, a gyroscope, LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and a stereo-vision system, plus hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine functions and battery charge.
The LS3 will weigh in around 850lbs (386kg) - much bigger than Big Dog. It is likely that the LS3 will have a quieter engine than Big Dog, maybe a hydrogen fuel cell and high density rechargeable batteries. Apart from the obvious military applications, the LS3 could also be adapted to perform science or rescue missions in difficult terrain or in natural disasters. You can imagine the LS3 roving around a volcano, or in earthquake zones – delivering medical supplies when roads are destroyed.
Via Big Dog and CleanTechnica
Trevor Williams is a University of Victoria Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate specializing in renewable energy, power grid modeling and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He has a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering, a Masters in Management Science and over 23 years international experience in the space industry, having worked on Earth observation and telecommunications satellites. He is the author of the Eco-Geek blog.
written by Skyfae , May 05, 2010
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written by Ehrgheiz , March 07, 2010