Although the BigDog may be more durable, It won’t be able to walk the distances as Cornell’s ‘Ranger’. Just because it’s not the most beautiful bot out there, doesn’t mean it should sit the bench. The Ranger walked 45 laps nonstop around Cornell’s track which is 5.6 miles. The Ranger eventually tipped over likely due to a dieing battery.

Developed by a team of students working with Andy Ruina, Cornell professor of theoretical and applied mechanics, the robot walked (and walked) until it finally stopped and fell backward, perhaps because its battery ran down. “We need to do some careful analysis to find out for sure,” said Greg Stiesberg, a graduate student on the team.

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Ok I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m never really too impressed with what robots can do. I always hear about millions of dollars of funding being spent on robotics, and I still haven’t found a robot that i really think could make a huge impact… until i watched this video. Boston Dynamics has built their reputation with what they have built on four legs. Their newest bot, the LittleDog can carry up to 350 pounds and is shockingly stable. The technology this robot uses I have never seen before and I’m truly impressed. Read the full story

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