Talk:BigDog

Uncanny Valley

Should it be mentioned how BigDog is evoking an "uncanny valley" response in some people? Are there any studies in that regard? It'd be interesting if there were but I can't find any. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.82.92.213 (talk) 05:49, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

If there's some kind of a study of it, or even just a discussion of it in some credible publication, I absolutely think it'd be worth a mention. I don't think I quite get the "uncanny valley" response myself, but the way Big Dog's legs' movement resembles that of two pairs of human legs that have been fused with a robotic frame, facing each other... there's definitely a hint of what Warren Ellis calls the "arachnid reaction" there -- that is to say, "fear and revulsion and the disturbance of proximity to something alien", which I find quite interesting. A good reference would be an absolute requirement, though; otherwise we'll be hip-deep in original research. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 14:33, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

Most of what's been written about Big Dog (and I've looked at rather a lot of it) is just blog reaction. I haven't seen much in the way of technical analysis, published papers, or patents. If anybody finds something solid, please put it in. Thanks. --John Nagle (talk) 03:36, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I had the fortune of meeting with one of the designers who explained Big Dog in great technical detail. I'll add the information soon (just need time), but it wont be sourced, since I received all the information at a presentation.---Zachary Cohen (talk) 14:41, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

You can cite presentations, conferences, or speeches just fine. The point of citations is not to provide a link to the original source, but to tell people where the information is from. You can use {{Cite speech}} or {{Cite conference}} or simply format it as the MLA would have you do it. I think its:

Last Name, First Name. "Title." Location including Place, City, State. Day Month, Year.

And now you know! --Falcorian ^(talk) 16:57, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

"And knowing is half the battle..." G.I. JOE!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.171.172.130 (talk) 08:04, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

I for one definetly experienced the "uncanny valley effect" when watching the videos on youtube. Also, many of the people I have showed the videos to have reactions along the lines of, "that's creepy."

Cost

Do we have a cost or estimated cost to the design of this robot? Bear 03:03, 30 April 2010 (UTC)User:Bear77

The BigDog program cost $23 million for two prototypes, and the Legged Squad Support System is budgeted at $32 million for two prototypes. That's all R&D; production costs will be far lower. --John Nagle (talk) 05:17, 30 April 2010 (UTC)

BigDog in Popular Culture

If anyone is interested, Boston Dynamics' BigDog was the inspiration for BD-428, the robotic military quadruped in G. S. Hargrave's science fiction short story of the same name. The story first appeared in the 2012 collection, Doctor Ramani's Children and Other Stories (ISBN-10: 0615589960), and may represent one of the earliest appearances of BigDog in science fiction.

BD-428, which is actually referred to in the story as "Big Dog," is described as a fourth generation field model, having Verbal Command and Response capabilities and three distinct levels of increasingly autonomous Operational Intelligence Parameters. It's at the third level, Autonomous GPS-guided Transport Unit with Tactics Logic, that behavior suggestive of sentience unexpectedly emerges. Whether or not BD-428 has actually become sentient in the tale is largely a matter of interpretation. Such uncertainty, of course, is one of the story's central themes, and one of the central issues of the rapidly advancing fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. It's a problem that we may be addressing in the real world much sooner than most of us expect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.194.144.232 (talk) 03:31, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

"Popular Culture" sections for factual articles are somewhat discouraged, unless the matter is notable by Wikipedia standards. See WP:IPC. Also see [1]. --John Nagle (talk) 05:19, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Robots vs. Mules

The article explains how BigDog has abilities resembling a mule; can anyone find & articulate this robot's advantages over a real mule that make it worth the high expense? 65.103.54.234 (talk) 19:36, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Th main virtue is that you can switch it off, and when switched off it requires very little energy or servicing. Mules need to be fed and watered nearly as much when not in use as they do when in action. Andy Dingley (talk) 19:51, 28 July 2012 (UTC)