BigDog

Basic Information

BigDog is a quadrupedal robot developed by Boston Dynamics. It is 1 m long, stands 0.7 m tall, and weighs 75 kg. It can navigate through difficult terrain at speeds up to 5.3 km/h and carry equipment up to 154 kg. It is very stable for a robot its size, and can regain stability even after slipping on ice or being kicked into the side by people. Its development was funded by DARPA.

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia entry

2. Boston Dynamics page - with video

Game and Story Use

• Imagine a pack of these - with remote-controlled machine guns attached to them - chasing you through a winter forest…
  • If you want to retain some semblance of plausibility, they will probably remain stationary when they fire.
  • See also this article:
• The whining noise of the motors [2] might induce terror into their victims - like the Stukas of World War II.
• The BigDog seems to qualify as nightmare fuel for some. Its odd appearance suggest to humans whose torsos meld into each other and thus have become a single creature. Its buzzing noise make it sound like it is inhabited by a rather nasty insect hive.
• More plausibly, twenty minutes into the future an infantryman pushes a button on his radio to bring one of these sprinting up from the rear with fresh supplies, or alternatively a couple of these pace behind each section on foot patrol, carrying the men's bergens and/or water and ammunition (since a fully loaded bergen can be ~30kg a half section's worth will take up most of the dog's load on its own).