Who Knew?

The Boston terrier was the inspiration for Boston Dynamics’ LittleDog Robot!

LittleDog has four legs, each powered by three electric motors. The legs have a large range of motion. The robot is strong enough for climbing and dynamic locomotion gaits. The onboard PC-level computer does sensing, actuator control and communications. LittleDog’s sensors measure joint angles, motor currents, body orientation and foot/ground contact. Control programs access the robot through the Boston Dynamics Robot API. Onboard lithium polymer batteries allow for 30 minutes of continuous operation without recharging. Wireless communications and data logging support remote operation and data analysis. LittleDog development is funded by the DARPA Information Processing Technology Office.

LittleDog may be a high tech wonder, but… he’s not nearly as cute (or apparently as agile) as a real Boston. That said, I think I’d rather send a robot dog in to risk ‘life and limb’ searching dangerous rubble or explosive environments than a real dog.