Google buys company behind the robot that can run faster than Usain Bolt

Google buys company behind the robot that can run faster than Usain Bolt

Mangalore Today News Network

U.S, Sep 20, 2014: Google announced yesterday the purchase of Boston Dynamics, a company that builds military robots - though no one knows what the search engine has planned for the cyborgs.

 

Wanna race? Google recently purchased robotics company Boston Dynamics, which has developed a robot that can run faster than the fastest human

 

This was the eighth robotics acquisition in the past sixth months. The initiative is headed by Andy Rubin, the executive responsible for leading development on the Android smartphone, who says the project is a ’moonshot’ and that product development is still several years away.

Up until their purchase by Google, Boston Dynamics was making research robots for the Defense Adanvanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. government agency responsibly for developing new military technologies.

Slipping and sliding: The Boston Dynamics robot named Big Dog can cover all types of terrain, and is pictured maintaining balance even on a sheet of ice

Fast one: WildCat is another of Boston Dynamics’ super fast robots. WildCat isn’t as fast as Cheetah, but can cover a variety of terrains

Google would not say how much they paid for the company and will not be releasing financial information. They said the company will fulfill all current government contracts, but that Google will not be taking on any more military work.

 

Boston Dynamics was founded in Waltham, Massachusetts by ex-MIT professor  Dr Marc Raibert in 1992.

Since then, they have been developing animal-like robots that can travel faster than the fastest human, and even cover difficult terrains like snowy hills and icy roads.

Courtesy: Dailymail