The 'Future' has Begun...

[HunterKiller_]

The glorious time has finally come.

[B u r l]

cool, but it needs more mounted lazers.

[GaussianRaider]

I wonder what are the safety implications of this!

[OldJake666]

How long until it sees military usage?

[Jason Rainville]

The glorious time has finally come.

Live action Fern Gully?!?!

[Bill]

I already have one. It's very nice.

[romance]

This is a logging enthusiasts wet dream

[Blahm]

logjamm'in

[Ryuartyi]

Very interesting. It should take a few years to get into mass production, but it should make logging quite a bit safer.

Gotta love technology.

[Hookswords]

this thing has been around for about ten years. It looks like they've made some advancements but I think it's still too slow to catch on. Looks bad ass though, I mean as bad ass as you can look driving a walker and not dressed like a stormtrooper.

[Cthogua]

How long until it sees military usage?

Unfortunately for all us walking robot enthusiasts probably never. There's just too many moving parts, the maintenance would be ridiculous. Never mind actual battle field issues. I actually worked on the creation of the training materials for an in-development amphibious landing craft meant to replace the currently used AAV called the EFV. It was sort of a hybrid troop transport, similar to a Bradly Fighting Vehicle, but it could change it's drive train to run a water jet engine similar to a giant jet ski. It also would pull it's tracks up into the body and flaps would fold out from the bottom of it to form a flat surface underneath, like a big metal boogie board. Supposedly it could go roughly 30 knots in the water when fully "transformed." Anyway, it was neat, but ultimately the project got canceled because they were just never able to work out a number of design flaws, and ultimately it was just too complicated, too many moving parts, it broke down too often to be something you would want to be driving around a battlefield.

[r.mccabe]

I can just some grisley logger looking at that and saying " wtf?! get that scrap outa my way!"

[chriskot]

They should combine this with Boston Dynamics Big Dog technology to make it autonomous, then deploy hundreds at one end of a forest and watch from the sky as they slowly drive across, leveling it. Or just build one, really, really big one that works like an enormous, walking combine harvester. Then it will really be the future.

I can just some grisley logger looking at that and saying " wtf?! get that scrap outa my way!"

And then breaking out an old-fashioned bow saw, sawing down the tree manually, rolling it into a stream and riding it down to the sawmill while he whistles "The Log Driver's Waltz" to himself? Because for some reason, that's what I see.

[t11]

They should combine this with Boston Dynamics Big Dog technology to make it autonomous...

Don't forget the paralyzing throat needles!

[Line]

Ok, now all we need to do is find a cure for cancer and AIDS and we're done with the problems of the millenium

[Max Challie]

I can just imagine a soldier hiding in the bushes

FLECKTARN
WOODLAND CAMO
90%

"there it is.. Metal Gear.."

[l33t fl33t]

Ok, now all we need to do is find a cure for cancer and AIDS and we're done with the problems of the millenium

Yay, cancer. The bane of first world citizens. Who gives a damn if people are dieing of hunger, we don't want to die from cancer. Our lives are far too important...to us.

A stupefying situation - we can cure cancer and have giant walking robots but can't solve something as simple as hunger.

[Meli Hitchcock]

Unfortunately for all us walking robot enthusiasts probably never. There's just too many moving parts, the maintenance would be ridiculous. Never mind actual battle field issues.

From a maintenance stand point, you'd also have to educate the military how to take care of these things since once something get's deployed there is no way in hell they allow contractors out to perform service on the vehicle. Speaking as a person who does maintenance technical manuals for fixed (sometimes mobile) facilities, you can't even get these guys to clean out the dirt that builds up on their shielded doors. Sometimes the crew are not aware they have manuals specifically for their facilities that detail inspection procedures they need to perform every so many days.

I'd hate to see us blow money on some high tech equipment that will only be destroyed because the grunts never do any regular maintenance on it.

[wassermelone]

Apparently the future came five years ago. :p

[Rist]

I can see walking machines being an advantage in the field of warfare. Just needs to move a little faster...

[Genome]

The 'Future' has Begun...

BULLSHIT, wheres my flying car in a suit case then?

[0kelvin]

Here you go

Okay, so it doesn't fly. YET.



Eric

[Max Challie]

Flying/floating cars have long been a sci-fi ideal, but I don't think they would actually be effective IRL. Before I jump to conclusions with crashes, I realize there are often roads in the sky in the form of tubes, or nothing but traffic flow. Thing is, if you have an anti-gravity vehicle travelling on the ground, and it has to turn a corner, the weight of the vehicle will cause it to drift a lot more than one binded by the ground. By going airborne, you give up all traction and friction.

However, it would allow for higher speeds and I imagine that in the future, long distance transportation and sport racing will be airborne. General traffic flow would likely remain, umm.. 'ground-bound'

Play a lot of Wipeout, and you'll probably end up with this point of view

[HunterKiller_]

Before I jump to conclusions with crashes

Well, it's ok, you can jump there, because it's generally agreed that the general human population would be too dumb/reckless to use flying vehicles.

[kev ferrara]

Walking is the latest technology! Nutty! What next? Reinvent the wheel? (Actually, now that I think about it, when are uniball type rollers going to be used for vehicles? A vehicle with one ball in the center as the only wheel. The ibot contains the balance technology and the magnilev trains have the magnetic repulsion technology down. All that's left is steering and driveshaft.)

Anyhow... here's the real future: Strong as Diamond, as flexible as rubber:

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2...anomuscle.html

[Zaxser]

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2...anomuscle.html

Kinda old hat, don't you think?