Image Gallery: A robotic menagerie

Oct. 15, 2013

Legged Squad Support Systems (LS3)

Legged Squad Support Systems (LS3), funded by DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps, spent two years in development. In January of last year, LS3 completed its first outdoor field test. The robot can autonomously follow a leader on a tight path. It can also trail the leader, making decisions on its exact path. In another mode, the robot follows designated GPS coordinates while avoiding obstacles. In a 24-hr period, LS3 carried 400 lb. of gear and moved through the same terrain as its military leaders, while responding to their voice commands. Fully loaded, LS3 weighed about 1,250 lb. Scientists from Boston Dynamics, Carnegie Mellon, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, AAI Corporation, Woodward HRT, and Bell Helicopter were part of LS3’s development team.

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Boston Dynamics Corp. (Waltham, Mass.) recently completed field testing WildCat, a four-legged motorized robot. The company, which receives funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), builds robots that mimic animals and their abilities to maneuver through rough terrain. WildCat is a second-generation quadruped that follows Boston Dynamics’ famous Cheetah robot. Last year, Cheetah set a new record for legged robots when it galloped at 29.3 mph, surpassing Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) record of 13.1 mph set in 1989. And Cheetah’s milestone also beats the 27.78 mph speed record held by the fastest man in the world, Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.

Here’s a look at nine animal-inspired robots that make up Boston Dynamics’ menagerie.