The jumping looks like an expensive trick to get right.
..In terms of money, time, and human life.
Seems silly because we already have horses. The video suggests the purpose of these robot horses is purely recreational. Seems like a massive waste of resources when there's an ecosystem to save, diseases to cure and a solar system to explore.
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brb top shit, Tue 8 Apr 2025, 20:29,
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I’ve little love for horse riding.
But horses at least can recharge themselves wherever there’s grass. As for the rest, Kawasaki is big enough to do more than one thing, and it’s not like a concept video takes much in the way of resources.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the project is more about designing systems that will end up in other things. Perhaps in their military division. After all, BigDog started as a pack animal for soldiers in uneven terrain, and the idea of mechanised cavalry appeals to my sense of whimsy.
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jonbob loves you, Tue 8 Apr 2025, 20:40,
Reply)
Some shortcomings of quadrupedal locomotion wrt mechanised infantry are highlighted in this video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnl9ffCfrsc
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brb top shit, Tue 8 Apr 2025, 23:33,
Reply)