Boston Dynamics, a Boston-based engineering company, has recently demonstrated its prototype of BigDog, a robotic dog. While it may remind some of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, it has many others excited at its potential uses. A Youtube video of its demonstration has generated over 6 million hits, as well as garnering mentions in such prestigious publications as Army Times.

Sponsored by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, BigDog is intended to carry up to 340 pounds of equipment, while keeping up with foot soldiers in a combat environment.

Its gasoline-powered, hydraulic propulsion system allows it to move at speeds as high as 4 mph, over rough terrain, and up steep slopes, assisted by its triple-jointed legs. In addition, the robot also features an on-board computer, which tracks its “vital statistics,” such as oil temperature, hydraulic pressure, and battery life, and report them back to its controller.

While current models’ abilities are limited by remote control from bases, future models are expected to be capable of making basic decisions pertaining to its movements.

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