The AlphaDog Proto is a lab prototype for the Legged Squad Support System, a robot being developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the US Marine Corps. When fully developed the system will carry 400 lbs of payload on 20-mile missions in rough terrain. The first version of the complete robot will be completed in 2012. This video shows early results from the control development process. For more information visit www.BostonDynamics.com

If you’ve never heard of Boston Dynamics then prepare to be amazed. This company is a pioneer in military robotics. Their older and more well known robot, Big Dog, hosts an amazing amount of skill and abilities and behaves in an eerie, almost life like, fashion. The video above is a proto-type for their newest model, Alpha Dog, which far surpasses Big Dog in skills, although the video is less impressive than many of the Big Dog videos available on the YouTube Channel for Boston Dynamics.

There aren’t any field tests in the video, it’s all done in the lab, but based on videos of Big Dog from several years ago I can tell you that this thing won’t have any trouble going through some very rough terrain. Just think, this is only the stuff they want us to know about.

Episode #3 of The Website is Down web series – Chip demonstrates how to diagnose and repair a hardware problem using only his steel-toed boot and his razor thin patience. This episode is  a little different than the others and it’s a lot shorter. Yet there is a calming factor to it. The Indian tech support operator is one of the best, he’s so calm and handles Chip in a fashion that all tech support operators should learn.