Posted on 02/28/2017 7:23:43 AM PST by RoosterRedux
Google-owned robotics firm and “nightmare” factory Boston Dynamics has released video of its latest creation: a two-wheeled, four-legged hybrid robot named Handle.
The robot can stand on four legs, like Boston Dynamics’ previous creations such as BigDog and Spot. But at the end of its back two legs are two stabilised wheels, which let it stand up vertically and roll around at speeds of up to nine miles per hour. Think “Terminator riding on a hoverboard” and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the impression Handle gives off.
Boston Dynamics says the reason for the hybrid design is the simplicity it affords: rather than needing the complex joints of the fully-quadrupedal bots, Handle’s wheels can speed it around with little difficulty, while its front legs can be used for balance and for carrying loads of up to 50kg.
“Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance and mobile manipulation principles found in the quadruped and biped robots we build,” Boston Dynamics said, “but with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs, Handle can have the best of both worlds.” The video does not, however, show Handle walking rather that scooting around on its wheels.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
It rained frogs here yesterday afternoon.
Actually only one frog.
Well really more like half a frog...and partially digested at that.
One of the local raptors or Herons might have dropped it. No way that frog corpse made it here on his own...wait...this is the undead thread, so...
Bill’s new job is in customer service of some kind with an investment company. Answering phones rather than making calls, I think.
I went to A-Plus Vacuums, the Post Office, and Walmart.
I hope Bill likes it. And I hope it pays well.
The wind actually felt chilly today while I was sitting out with Charlie, so I came back in to get a long-sleeved shirt.
Strange weather.
I was able to shred enough papers to fill a 30-gallon garbage bag and half of another one between 0515 and 0645. I will do more sorting in the morning, and see how much else I can weed out. So in the last 30 hours, I’ve shredded almost three bags of papers.
And all the time, I’m asking myself, “WHY did I keep these so long???”
Life will be good, when I have less to schlep into a moving truck!
LOL! So are the girls as they clear out debris from their room, having finally taken seriously the proposition that I would do it, with a bad attitude.
Bill's new job will pay about twice as much as his old one, and have a Future. His old job had no future other than grocery department manager.
We're all going to the gym, some under duress.
The goal is to keep only the important things — journals (some pages have been shredded simply because I didn’t recognize them for what they were) and specific documents.
This all started when I was determined to find Igor’s DD-214’s for the Absolute File. (You know...birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees...) And tomorrow, I suspect I’ll end up going through what I’ve kept so I can label them before I file them once again.
That’s good news about Bill’s job. Maybe he will (at last) be prompted very soon to Move Out. What a concept!
I’m waiting for Carlos the maintenance man to show up. That funny guy!
*tagline*
The law is a curbstone that helps morality find its way without being trampled by ambition and impatience.
I had an 8:45am appointment to remove stiches from the new 4 inch gash in back of my foot.
Then they set my foot in a propper position and hard casted it for another two weeks.
Then I get the boot and that I can walk on.
Where are those people that carry you on their shoulders like Mariah Carey? I could sure bust her dancers more trying to carry my @ss around. LOL
Get your rest.
In a fictional story, I designed a sedan chair to be carried by four people using hip-girdles with a ball and socket connection.
All they had to do is take up their relative positions and stand up straight, then stay in step.
Each would be carrying one fourth the weight of the passenger plus the chair, about the same as having a two-year old on your hip.
The kitteh is very squee this morning!
I suspect you’ll be leaving soon. I’ll be here for a while.
I got up for something yesterday, around 1600 and noticed an envelope on my security door. It says I have an appointment on Wednesday to “discuss house rules.”
The inspection was a month ago, and they should have said something then. The only thing I can think of is that someone is trying to get me into trouble, but the joke is on them: I’m moving. Management will be tolerant when they know I’m not going to be around for them to pick on any more. *hahahahaha*
Zeke is going to come over in a bit and see what the “house rules” mean. Not that it will change anything.
So now, along with everything else, I’m getting the chills again, which means something is going on which is a little more sinister that just being up most of the night.
Good luck with the day!
I just got back from the post orifice where I mailed off my son’s hockey puck from the Las Vegas Golden Knights. I hope he like it!!
My meeting with Zeke was meh. He couldn’t figure out what “house rules” I violated any more than I can. Zeke did suggest that I call the office on Tuesday and ask Nina-the-Drone if I need to bring “our” attorney. That should be fun, seeing the response I might get from that query!
So in the cool of the day, I missed two hours of sorting, so I will try to get at least an hour’s worth in, now. Well, after I’ve had my hibiscus tea, anyway.
Back from the parade. It was nice, not too hot. Good turnout of the Scouts.
Gr-r-r-r-rrrr...
I started to reply to your post and had to reboot. It took a while. Then I got a phone call, and here I am.
Even though my meeting with Zeke lasted 45 minutes, I still emptied another two boxes, and I’ve decided I’ll try to find plastic file boxes because the edges of the boxes fray when the boxes are stacked up. It looks like there will be another two or three bags of shreds to go to the dumpster.
Since I was up most of the night, I’m beginning to feel a little puny, but I’ll try to stay up for a while longer. I’m not sure how long that will be, but for now, I’m here.
Lots of driving this afternoon. The location where Sally had First Aid training was all the way around to the far side of Charlotte, and I got lost. Then we came back around and I dropped her at the carnival in Mint Hill, where she was meeting some people from the church youth group. I’ll send Bill to get her later.
Oooohhh...Dat squee is just a few tinies old! Hug dat floof!
Speaking of tiny things, there is a very tiny spider here that leaves a vicious bite on people who are sensitive to such things, namely me. A group of them hide out at the ramada and I’ve gotten several bites from them in the last 10 days. So today, I’m going down there armed with my Raid and do a job to the area. I hope I have enough. I can’t get any more until payday. Meanwhile I have a large red welt on the side of my neck where it meets my shoulder.
While it’s cool, I’ll also do some shredding. Way overdue for that by several years and several hundred documents. I can sit in the wooden rocker by the door and let the cool air do its job to my sweating brow. ;o]
My appointment with the bishop has been postponed until next week at an earlier time, so that’s good. I could never have lasted until 1430.
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