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The BigDog robot was terrifying and all, but its big brother the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is stronger, lasts longer, and should make life way easier for our soldiers. Here’s what it looks like in the great outdoors.
The LS3 runs quieter than BigDog did, because it’s meant to accompany squads in the field. Right now it’s being tested to carry 180kg for 20 miles over 24 hours without being refueled, which should cut down on the 145kg-plus individual soldiers have to carry around.
I know the instinct is to play this forward into the Terminator scenarios, but these robots are staggeringly cool, and I absolutely want one to carry my stuff around if they ever make it down to the civillian level. [DARPA via IEEE]
It’s still ridiculously loud… sounds very much like a lawn mower; surely having such a continuous distraction of sound while in the field is a bad thing?
Seems to be more of a proof of concept, although this is the third iteration of the system I think.