A US robotics company has revealed a festive and distinctly creepy use for its four-legged robotic inventions. Who needs Rudolph when you’ve got a BigDog?
Google-owned Boston Dynamics posted the following video of its BigDog robots in action. The team has swapped out actual live reindeer for two BigDog robots.
These BigDogs are gas-powered quadrupeds that can trot along at 16mph, scale 35-degree slopes, and right themselves in the event of a spill.
Sadly, they cannot fly, but it seems they can drag a sleigh carrying a female Santa and a bunch of presents. Because Christmas.
Regardless of the cheery paint job and festive spirit with which this stunt was no doubt conceived, we have a sneaking suspicion this will be appearing in our nightmares some time soon.
Related: Christmas 2015 gift guide
Perhaps it’s the fact that the BigDogs were originally designed for US military usage, with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Is that a ‘kill’ mode switch we see under those antlers?
Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 by former MIT professors. Google bought the company back in 2013, as part of a spate of robotics buy-ups from the internet giant, back when Android creator Andy Rubin was still heading up Google’s robotics division.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
