Ok, like any true geek, I'm fascinated by robotics.
The state of robotics has however been very disappointing for someone raised in the C3-PO, R2-D2 age. Sure there have been the ocassional bright spots here and there, but generally it seems like robotics has advanced at a pace only exceeding the pace of windshield wiper technology. (This is a rant for another day, but really, these stinking things haven't advanced since theywere invented, and they suck)
However, today I came across this site and it really blew my mind. Watch the videos and see these things in action. Especially BigDog and RiSE. What was really impressive to me is that they aren't trailing control wires, support cables, power lines etc. They are running self contained.
BigDog is a little freaky to watch, but very impressive. Watch when they kick him.
Boston Dynamics: The Leader in Lifelike Human Simulation
