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Eurosport —
Bringing Live Sports to the Palm of Your Hand
As one of the largest sports broadcasters in the world, Eurosport was looking for new opportunities to grow and engage its audience in an ever evolving digital content market where the fight for sports rights ownership and distribution was getting more and more competitive.
Code and Theory identified a series of behaviors across sports fans that became the guiding principles for creating a more immersive live sports experience.
Fans have specific expectations for the services they use to follow and watch their sports. Through user research we arrived at a series of principles we recommended Eurosport follow to make sure it would retain and grow its fan-base.
Holistic: Engage fans with options beyond just watching games and reading news articles. We pushed for Eurosport to open up new areas of fandom such as gaming, fantasy, shopping, betting and training.
Flexible: Give fans the access and flexibility they expect. Let them customize their experience and be in control of how they commit to Eurosport.
Personal: Give them a voice. Bring them into the story, make them feel empowered and supported to express themselves.
Unique: Wow them through storytelling. They have many places to go and many options to pick from, so it's important to differentiate Eurosport. Leverage the company's existing access to make something unique.
In order to limit Eurosport's exposure to the battle for rights, the digital experience was designed for expansion into new areas of fandom through the lens of content. An enhanced, scalable content system aimed to deliver more compelling stories through new formats that could be easily distributed across multiple touchpoints.
With interactive live experiences, we presented a series of new functionalities that could live alongside the live video stream. Additionally, we expanded the system to allow Eurosport to seamlessly incorporate different parts of the sports world such as shopping, training, betting and gaming.
Immersive Mode
We learned that most fans multitask when watching sports, therefore the goal for immersive mode was to allow users to be able to interact with other parts of the platform while staying within the live environment and providing them with the type of features they want to engage with while watching.
Video Stream Functionality allows users to control their viewing experience through: access to "Immersive Mode," reacting with Cheer/Jeer, camera angles, save clips, other games, and the news ticker.
Sports Chatroom & Hangouts create a space for users to chat live about the game and comment/react to each other's posts (this can include photos and videos as well as text). Authenticated Eurosport users can add friends on the platform. When friends are online they can call one another to start a video call while they watch the game.
My Playlist gives users the ability to save and share clips from videos to a dedicated space in their profiles, and the ability to create multiple types of video playlists.
Companion Mode
To keep fans on the site even if Eurosport were to lose the rights to the game, we created "Companion Mode," a way for the app to sync up with the linear feed and provide a complementary experience to the match happening on TV.
Time-Sensitive Shopping Deals are highly targeted and related to the game, for example, an offer to shop Nadal's Racket for 20% off while watching the game.
Games/Quizzes/Polls encourage users to participate in games that are happening in real-time alongside the match to receive loyalty points.
Sportscaster partnerships give commentators a space in the Eurosport environment to garner a fan-base. Users can then listen to sportscasters' audio commentary alongside the game.
We launched the first version of Immersive Mode in time for the 2018 French Open. Looking forward, we will continue to roll out enhanced live-video pages for milestone events such as the U.S. Open.
This first launch initiated a new long-term vision for Eurosport that redefines the ultimate fan experience.


We thank you for your financial support . Please know that the seed you are sowing is being sown on fertile ground and will be used to teach the word of God and to continue to reach the lost and improverished world.
Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure , pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give unto your bosom. With the same measure it shall be given back to you.


Mom didn't like this one, but I think the serious look suits us.
I think we all come to that moment when we open our mouths and utter words that we suddenly, unexpectedly recognize as . . . our mother's. They're the phrases she used over and over until we really didn't hear them anymore. Except they're indelibly imprinted on our brains.
So, in honor of yesterday being Mother's Day. Here are some of my favorite Mom-isms.
"Life isn't fair." Well, I have to confess she was right about that! I think she used this most often in response to me complaining about my brothers or something my friends got to do that I didn't.
"You're bored? I'll give you something to do." Oh, to be bored again! We had no idea what a privilege it was to be bored.
"Point your toes straight ahead." This one was handed down from HER mother and was supposed to help me not walk like a duck. You said it all sing-songy in time with your footsteps.
"A you're adorable, B you're so beautiful . . ." Dad was the singer in the family, but Mom would sing this song to us all the way through to Z. I still remember the whole thing.
Of course, the best, most memorable thing my mother said to me over and over and OVER was . . . "I love you." And for that, I'm so very grateful.


NewPACKET Technologies provides electronic design and product development services. We offer complete product design process from product requirements, concept design, detailed engineering design, to prototype product pilot runs. We specialize in complex electronic systems that often require both software and hardware development. Our customers choose us because we excel in quickly understanding complex requirements, and provide timely and cost-effective designs.
NewPACKET Technologies designs complex electronic products. Our products are often comprised of disparate technologies, that we design and integrate together.
Our product design portfolio incorporates diverse technologies such as, embedded systems, microcontrollers, FPGAs, ASICs, analog systems, imaging systems, memory sub-systems and communication systems. We have deep domain experience in making complex, disparate technologies work together in a simple and seamless manner.
We love to work on leading edge products, with complex disparate technology issues.
Can't find the answer you are looking for? Want to talk business?


The purpose of this discussion is to show how saddles with different design characteristics produce different pressure profiles across the seated area.
From an ergonomic perspective most 'traditional' or 'v-shaped' saddles can be categorised simply into three primary groups based on the lateral profile: flat, semi-round and round. Within these groups there are also common variations, for example: the provision of a perineal 'cut-out', the degree of 'wave' along the longitudinal plane, as well as the width of the rearward section of the saddle.
The various design aspects are purported to fulfill specific functions. The aim of this discussion is to compare how saddles with different lateral profiles, as well as with and without a perineal 'cut-out', distribute pressure.
Saddles with a 'rounder' lateral profile are said to distribute pressure more evenly across the entire seated area than 'flatter' saddles. Flatter saddles are said to isolate pressure in what is known as the 'sit bone' region. However, for most road bike positions it is the pubic rami not the ischial tuberosity– the 'sit bones' – where the pressure usually resides (but that is a topic for another discussion). In addition, the provision of a perineal 'cut-out' is also said to further isolate pressure.
The two case studies below provide information that illustrates these points. We have recorded the saddle pressure maps of cyclists that are unremarkable in their anatomy and posture on the bike on two different saddles with their fit position (saddle, handlebars and cleats/pedal) optimised within a normative range and pedaling at a consistent cadence and power output.
The image below shows the saddle pressure maps of our first cyclist, a middle-aged male cyclist, riding between 150 – 200km per week at a recreational level. This cyclist had previously been fitted by Elbows Akimbo, and had returned for a follow-up consultation after the purchase of a new pair of shoes as well as experiencing some intermittent, but mild perineum discomfort.
The image on the left (Fig. 1a) shows the cyclist's saddle pressure distribution on his existing Prologo Nago – a semi-round saddle without a 'cut-out'. In Figure 1a, the saddle is behaving as expected and pressure is distributed relatively evenly across the seated area (58% front/42% rear).
A flatter saddle with a 'cut-out', the Prologo Zero II PAS, was fitted to the bike and the fit position adjusted accordingly. In Figure 1b, the pressure is concentrated in the pubic ramus regions with less pressure on the mid to front section of the saddle, away from the perineum (34% front/66% rear).
The next case study is an experienced middle-aged male rider in heavy training for the upcoming 3 Peaks Challenge that had reported moderate to high level of perineum discomfort and numbness.
The image below shows the cyclist's saddle pressure maps with his existing saddle a Prologo Kappa (Fig. 2a) and with the new saddle Prologo Zero II PAS (Fig 2b). In this example, the images show that the pressure change has been more pronounced than in the previous case, with the flatter Prologo Zero II PAS saddle isolating pressure almost exclusively in the pubic ramus regions (18% front/82% rear) as compared to the rounded Prologo Kappa (45% front/55%rear).
There was some concern that pressure may have been isolated too acutely with the new saddle, but follow-up has been positive with the cyclist reporting a complete elimination of perineum discomfort and no ill-effects from the additional pressure on the pubic bone.
In the examples discussed above we were able to observe how saddles with a flatter lateral profile and the provision of a perineal 'cut-out" isolate pressure more acutely in the pubic rami region as compared to saddles with a rounder lateral profile without a cut-out that distribute pressure more evenly across the entire seated area.


Motorola Droid :: Tell Google Navigation To Cache / Is That Done Automatically?
Is supposed to cache the route as to not drain the battery life as fast and also to help with poor reception areas. My question is do you have to tell it to cache or is that done automatically?
Is this possible? Folder called Media, then within that have folders for MP3s, Videos, Streaming, etc?
I have a Droid X running Froyo. It's rooted. I really want to organize all my apps into folders but lately different folders have been refusing to open. I click on them and they just don't open. Sometimes it's all of them and sometimes it's just one. If I restart it usually fixes the problem but sometimes I just have to wait for a bit. This is very annoying. I'm not using an alternative launcher or anything. Just the regular Motorola Droid X OS. Just rooted. Any ideas guys? Please let me know. I really want to get things organized again.
Is there a way to rename folders? I have 2 folders with various things in them but I always choose the wrong folder! I haven't found a way to rename the folder to something else.
Is there a way to view all (or at least more) of the SD folders on my PC via USB connection? The only ones I can access are those I created on the PC (except for DCIM). I like to retain extra backups of everything, so I'd like to back up my apps, bookmarks, etc to the PC where they are backed up to another drive.
I compared the owner, group and permissions of the PC-created folders vs the Droid X backup folders and they're the same. And I have the option to show hidden files selected on the PC. Do I have to remove/read from the card itself to access these folders?
I'm looking for an app to organize all my sd card info like pictures and music.


Stock market talk has been filled with references to "bubbles" over the past couple years. But Wharton Professor and author Jeremy Siegel says those seeing a bubble in the current market need to get their eyes checked.
Using that standard, today's stock market is far from bubble territory, Siegel says. S&P 500 stocks are trading for about 18 times estimated 2015 earnings, about 10% higher than the market's median P/E of 16 since 1954, he notes.
Marks: The Future Is Unknowable, So How Should We Invest?


Confirm Toufeeq and James can attend face to face.
Joel will do an editorial pass on the guidelines this week. Prasad reviewed section 4. For 4.1.2, Joel recommended we may suggest something simple like open id connect if they don't have a complicated scenario. Prasad agreed. Andy clarified that OAuth would be the first choice. Joel noted f-j should be subbullets of e. Prasad noted one variation of third party is using google id or another third party. Prasad noted that he is recommending people use products rather than try to implement on their own. That is a general recommendation that would apply across scenarios. Joel offered to think about where to put that. He noted that some things have the same recommendations whther self hosting or third party.
For 4.2, Joel suggested chainging the title to IAM for applications between Enterprises (or use between organizations? - VS). For 4.2.2, Prasad clarified that the general approach would not change if Organization A uses self or third party hosted. He asked if the recommended option should be OAuth 2. Joel agreed that would be helpful.
4.3 has potential for future applications. It would allow for much broader exposure. Joel agreed this would be most important going forward.
4.4, Prasad noted many applications can hook into your identity provider of choice. Organizations can grow while keeping their identity management approach intact. Office 365 is an example.
Joel agreed the use cases were very good.
Section 5: Joel agreed SSO is becoming a must have. Joel noted that SAML is not growing like OAuth 2 and Open ID, but it is essential in some envornments. We may want to mention SAML2. Prasad agreed. Joel noted the mention of the movement to cloud-based identity management. He noted most enterprises don't use that yet. We should avoid prognostications we can't back up. He may tweak the working.
Joel noted that flow diagrams may provide a good overview of the technology. We can focus on the use cases. Joel noted he has availability to speak with Prasad further. We will plan to distribute the security document ahead of time.
Joel asked who should attend. They would need to receive a copy. Candidates: Amy Opalek, Kirke Lawton, Cyndi Streun, Tarang Shah, Sascha Cohen, Susan Albright, Ed Kennedy, Radu Vestemean, other vendors. Joel noted we will divide time between this and questions about APIs. This could go 40-20 minutes. Valerie will send a draft invitation to Joel. Joel and Prasad will follow-up on slides. Scott noted he will attend.


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DAVID Fitzgerald's untimely death from cancer aged just 55 shocked his family and many friends.
David, who died on February 19 last year, is and always will be hugely missed.
David grew up on the Mill Road in Corbally. He went to school in Scoil Ide, Crescent primary and Crescent College Comprehensive where he captained the school in his final year.
He is best known in Limerick for his involvement in rugby – starting with Shannon RFC underage; schools with Crescent and Trinity College Dublin.
After graduating, David moved to London and joined London Irish RFC in 1986. He captained the club for two seasons 88/89 and 89/90.
When his playing career ended, David became involved in the administrative side of the club and served as chairman of London Irish Amateur from 2009-2015.
He played a leading role in the takeover of the professional club and served as Executive Chairman until 2015, then serving as Director despite his illness.
David's love of Irish rugby never faltered and this included traveling to as many games as possible and particularly, Munster matches, though this probably had a lot to do with catching up with old friends for copious pints and chats!
As a businessman and natural leader, David was extremely successful working with Anderson Consulting, APAX Partners, the Carlisle Group and the Emirates Investment Authority.
Through all the professional and sporting accolades awarded to David and there were many, he remained the same.
A gentle giant, he loved and supported his family and was never shy about expressing his pride, wisdom and advice.
He enjoyed spending a week in Ballybunion each summer, playing golf and relaxing. He loved catching up with friends, either standing on sidelines or holed up in the bar sharing songs and stories.
He was a true friend and confidante to many and as the eldest in our family, he was looked up to and admired.
He is truly missed by his wife Sara, his children – Robert, Francesca and Thomas – and his siblings Fiona, Pam, Brian and Linda, stepmother Maureen, his extended family and his many friends.
David Fitzgerald's anniversary on February 19 will be marked in St Paul's Church at 12.15pm Mass.


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Artist Reveal: Tammy Tappan finds inspiration from life-long love of horses
Home » Blog » Blog » Artist Reveal: Tammy Tappan finds inspiration from life-long love of horses
"From the minute I touched clay, I just knew I should have been doing this my whole life. I just love it."
Tammy Tappan has always been a "horse person" and a creative. Though she didn't start her foray into fine art until 2016, the art of creating has been a life-long calling. In fact, she began studying illustration in college before starting her own sign company, which afforded her the opportunity to soothe her creative soul through logo, graphic and sign design.
Tammy ran that company for nearly 30 years, growing it to a team of approximately 50 before ultimately selling it to pursue her passions. That personal pursuit took her across the country, from North Carolina to Scottsdale, Arizona where she said she found her calling in a five-day sculpture course at the Scottsdale Artists' School. The rest is history.
Today, Tammy is known for her majestic portrayals of equine subjects in bronze and paintings, and her uncanny ability to capture the powerful emotion of the horse in her pieces.
Read on for more of Tammy's story.
What first sparked your interest in sculpture?
It was one of those things where you hit a certain time in your life, where you just know it's time for a change. I had spent a lifetime of doing things for everybody else and wanted to pursue something that I was passionate about. It was a little scary because you get used to making a certain amount of income and living a certain lifestyle, but ultimately, I wanted to do something that I was passionate about.
I literally Googled equine sculpture, then went out to Scottsdale for a five-day class at the Scottsdale Artists' School in 2016. And from the minute I touched clay, I just knew I should have been doing this my whole life. I just love it.
So, that's really what started that. I've always been a horse person. There's something about the horse––that's really the inspiration.
My studio and my gallery are in a public venue, so the most rewarding part is when somebody comes in and they have an actual emotional reaction to a piece of work. It's just so cool because it starts a conversation about things that you would never even imagine.
For instance, this venue was the host of qualifying competitions for the 2020 Olympics. So we hosted all the USA Olympians who were qualifying for the Tokyo games. One of the biggest ones was the paralympic team––individuals with disabilities who ride horses on an international level. And I have met, and now have relationships with, almost every team member. They'd come sit in the studio and talk while I was painting and tell me about their challenges or what's coming up.
I think it's the relationships that are created because of the art. That's my favorite part.
Not getting bored. I've painted a lot of brown horses. I've painted a lot of gray horses. And now I kind of see myself transitioning. I'm starting to include the human figure in my work and trying to capture the relationship that happens between a human being and a horse, which is hard to describe, let alone try to put into a visual format.
I really believe that there is an emotional connection and an energy that happens with a horse and a human being. Taking that non-tangible thing that you know is there––that connection––and then try to convey it in some visual form is challenging. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Showing that connection is a long-term goal of mine.
I went to school to be an illustrator, so in my world, the only thing that's good is when it looks like the real thing––a photograph or an object. So, that was always kind of my measuring point. When I would draw I would ask does it look realistic? Does it look accurate? Is it proportional?
But today, I'm much more contemporary abstract. I'm really not all that concerned with, is it photographic? Is it perfect? It's figuring out how to capture the energy. So I start now by completely messing up the canvas and then going over and figuring out where the horse is.
What drew you to equestrian art?
I have had a horse or a pony since I was a kid. Everybody in my family asks why I don't paint something else. But, I feel like why would I want to paint something else? I'm just naturally drawn to the horse both as a rider and just as a companion.
When you're not painting, how do you spend your time?
Riding my horses and walking my dogs. And, more recently, getting ready to build a new studio. We bought an antique timber frame barn and we're converting it into a house and a studio.
I have actually been to the Celebration of Fine Art as a patron a couple of times and I was really inspired by the quality of the art that is at the show. I've been to so many art galleries and museums, and I'll walk in and walk back out. But that was not the case when I went there. I'm really excited to be a part of such an amazing group of artists.
Unthinkable Mediums: Finding an Artful Purpose For Discarded Cowboy Hat FeltArtist Reveal: Sabrina Cavenaghi A journey from business administration in Italy to glass art in L.A.
art showartist revealmeet the artist
November 16, 2021in Blog
San says:
I look forward to seeing the horses at the big white tents show.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Searching for past earthquakes
A team of scientists conducted a research survey in November 2016 aboard NIWA's research vessel, Tangaroa, looking for evidence of past earthquakes off the east coast of the North Island.
The scientists were looking for geological evidence of strong ground shaking to try to reconstruct where and when earthquakes have occurred along the Hikurangi plate boundary, New Zealand's largest earthquake and tsunami hazard.
"We were looking for marine 'turbidites', layers of mud, sand and gravel sediment, which settle as a result of seafloor landslides triggered by earthquakes" says NIWA marine geologist and voyage leader Dr Philip Barnes.
The scientists surveyed more than 50 sites between Cook Strait and Poverty Bay despite occasional rough seas, and collected sediment cores up to six metres long.
When the cores were brought back to the surface on board the vessel, they were measured and cut into sections to be photographed, X-rayed, logged and packaged for further analysis.
"This analysis will be tackled as part of a five year project. When completed, it will help assess the hazard, risk and, ultimately, potential losses due to large earthquakes on the Hikurangi plate boundary," says Barnes.
The work involves scientists from various national research institutions (including NIWA, GNS Science, University of Auckland, University of Otago, University of Canterbury, and Victoria University of Wellington), as well as international researchers from the USA, Turkey, and France.
The research is part of a five year NZ Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) research programme called 'Hikurangi Subduction Earthquakes and Slip Behaviour' and a multi-year NIWA-MBIE Core Coasts & Oceans Programme Marine Physical Processes and Resources.
Details of further work being carried out as part of these research programmes will be available through East Coast LAB (Life at the Boundary).


In case you've forgotten the announcement made by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan last November, I'm here to remind you that effective Sept. 1 the no fault coverage provided by your car insurance policy will be reduced.
Those who want to maintain the same coverage they now have should contact their brokers or insurance companies and be prepared to pay substantially more to maintain current coverage.
But, based on human nature, few of us will make that call and agree to pay more.
Maximum medical and rehabilitation benefits for non-catastrophic injuries will be reduced from the current $100,000 to $50,000. Medical assessment costs will be deducted from this lower limit thereby further reducing the maximum payment.
If you sustain what is deemed a "predominantly minor injury" the medical and rehab coverage is reduced to $3,500. Maximum attendant care benefits will be reduced from $72,000 to $36,000. Housekeeping benefits of $100 per week will be eliminated.
Caregiver benefits - to provide compensation if you provided full-time care to dependents - of $250 per week plus $50 for each additional dependent will be eliminated. There's no attendant, housekeeping or caregiver benefits for minor injuries.
Income replacement benefits will be reduced to 70% of gross income, down from 80%. Payment for rebuttal assessments to challenge insurer assessments will be eliminated.
There's more bad news, but that should be enough to make my point.
The value of your insurance policy has been devalued. You paid a premium for a certain level of coverage but effective Sept. 1 you'll be receiving a lower level of coverage. It's a classic bait and switch.
So what to do? If you can afford it, top up your coverage. Sadly, most of us won't bother. Certainly most people already struggling to pay their bills and facing increasing expenses with HST and galloping increases in hydro fees are unlikely to pay a higher premium for additional coverage.
And that's a real pity as those are the very people most likely to be financially devastated by injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident.
Who are the winners and losers? Insurance companies win big. They provide less coverage for the same premium. They get extra premiums for the same coverage.
Accident victims lose. Car owners lose.
We get the privilege of paying more for the same coverage we now have.
You see, these changes are a recipe for more lawsuits. Remember that the no fault benefits are paid by your own insurer. If you aren't content with the no fault benefits you can always sue the other driver for negligence.
Accident victims aren't bound by the no fault limits in a negligence or tort lawsuit.
But if you do sue the other driver and your claim is valued at under $100,000 you'll face an automatic $30,000 reduction in your award. The new insurance rules will allow you to pay an additional premium to have the deduction lowered to $20,000.
By now you should be asking how we got into this mess.
Simple, insurance companies claimed they were losing money, that accident benefits were too high and the system encouraged abuse, if not fraud.
The Ontario government wanted to stem the tide of insurance premium increases and caved in to the insurance lobby.
To be fair, there's a lot of good intentions in these changes, but having two classes of insurance policies, one for the rich and a very basic one for everyone else doesn't seem to make good public policy.
My advice: Drive defensively and speak to your broker or agent to educate yourself and determine what upgrades make the most sense and how much they'll cost.
Source: Shanoff, Alan., 'No fault insurance changes: Companies win, drivers lose' The Toronto Sun (May 23rd, 2010).
"...the lawyer's greatest weapon is clarity, and its whetstone is succinctness"


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15-year-old wins $10k in Legends race
George Walker | July 19, 2010 | Motorsports | No Comments
FORT WORTH, Texas (July 19, 2010) – Tomball native Zachary Hausler represented Texas well at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night as he raced his way to the Legends Million A-Feature and earned $10,000 for a 16th-place finish.
Hausler, 15, is the current TMS Summer Stampede and Pro division points leader and was one of 14 Texans out of the 144-driver Legends Million field. Hausler finished second in the fifth of 10 qualifying races and was the only Texan to make the 100-lap
feature, which consisted of just 30 cars.
In the Masters division, Texas natives Buddy Goudy (Benbrook), Gene Conley (Highland Village) and Scott Anderson (Austin) raced their way to the feature event among a total of 64 drivers entered. Goudy, who has more than two dozen Masters victories at TMS this season, topped the Texas contingent with a 16th-place finish while Conley and Anderson finished 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Plano's T.J. Michael, the current points leader for the Young Lions/Semi-Pro division of the TMS Summer Stampede, was the only Texas native to make the Young Lions/Semi-Pro division feature and finished 26th. Michael was one of four Texans entered in the 87-car field and finished fourth in the first of four heats to earn his featurerace position.
Jeffrey Abbey (Commanche) and Clayton Green (Marble Falls) participated in Charlotte Motor Speedway's Bandolero Triple Crown event, which featured Bandolero Outlaws, Bandits and Beginner Bandits divisions. Green finished second in the Bandolero Outlaws feature while Abbey finished seventh in the Bandolero Bandits feature.
Legends car racing is a "spec" series in which all cars are mechanically identical and are designed primarily to promote exciting racing and lower costs. The bodies are 5/8-scale replicas of American automobiles from the 1930s and '40s that are powered by 140-horsepower Yamaha motorcycle engines. Legends cars weigh 1,300 pounds, are 10½ feet in length and cost approximately $12,000.
Texas Motor Speedway's Summer Stampede program will continue Thursday evening with its regular racing activity. For more information and season standings on the Texas Motor Speedway's Thursday Night Summer Stampede program, please visit
Tags:dfw sports, dfwsportsonline, legends, lonestarlegends, racing, Texas Motor Speedway, TMS
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Materials & Industrial Technology
A Robotic Menagerie of Mules, Dogs, Cheetahs and Wildcats
David Hunt
Conceptual art of a robotic mule. | Source
Robotic Mules
With today's Marines and Soldiers lugging equipment approaching 100 pounds, their effectiveness is being compromised. Military researchers are looking for ways to reduce this load, freeing the fighters to do their primary function: fight. Within a few years, quadruped robots, designated as "robotic mules", may accompany troops, bearing burdens of up to 400 pounds each.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, whose mission is to maintain the U.S. Military's technological superiority, has been funding various robotic mule programs with Boston Dynamics since at least 2005. Boston Dynamics is an engineering and robotics design company spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). DARPA's annual budget is about $3.2 billion.
BigDog robots trotting around. BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster Miller, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station. | Source
BigDog
The first robotic mule was called BigDog because of its dog-like gait when walking. Wheels and even tracks would not take these robots where they needed to go, namely wherever soldiers go. BigDog can run, climb and carry loads up to 340 pounds and, though it has extensive capabilities to automatically sense terrain and correct for slippage and uneven ground, it receives its high-level actions via radio signals from a human operator using an OCU (operator control unit). The operator can start, steer, set the speed and stop BigDog. It can also be told to squat. Its average speed for a trot is 3.5 mph (about the same speed as the first tanks in World War One), but has reached 7 mph bounding in controlled lab tests. Successful trials in the lab and out in the field have set the stage for the next evolution of the robotic mule, the AlphaDog.
Big Dog in Action
Big Dog Tossing Cement Blocks
DARPA logo as of January 2009. It is obsolete now. To show the current logo requires a written license agreement. | Source
AlphaDog
The militarized version of BigDog has a suitably militarized name: the Legged Squad Support System (LS3), though it is also known as AlphaDog, a bigger and more capable version of BigDog. By early 2014, AlphaDog must be able to carry a load of 400 pounds for 20 miles within 24 hours without refueling. At that point, AlphaDog will be embedded with Marines in field exercises. Currently, AlphaDog can already follow a human using its stereoscopic "eyes", distinguishing between rocks, trees and people, without an operator continually controlling it. Efforts are underway to refine its "eyes" and "brain" to distinguish a particular individual as its "master". Outdoor testing has begun as can be seen in the accompanying video. AlphaDog is indeed alarmingly adorable and, at the same time, somewhat frightening.
Additional capabilities are also being investigated:
"Ears", or hearing sensors, to allow squad members to order it to go, stop, squat, sit, come here, etc.
Using AlphaDog as a remote auxiliary power source to recharge soldiers' batteries on extended patrols.
The goal is to have a robot with the responsiveness of a trained animal and the carrying capacity of a mule. Judging from the videos, they'll need to make it a lot quieter, too.
AlphaDog in the Lab
Boston Dynamics is also working on the Cheetah, a four-legged robot that can run faster than any other legged robots. While BigDog's fastest speed in the lab is 7 mph, the Cheetah can 28 mph, shattering the 23-year-old record of 13 mph set by MIT in 1989. The next step is to get Cheetah out in the field and untethered. Boston Dynamics say 28 mph is "a good start". How much faster? They haven't said, although their treadmill can exceed 50 mph.
Cheetah in Action
September 2012 Update
Apparently the version known as "Alpha Dog" has been rechristened "Big Dog" and is or has been undergoing tests outdoors by the Marines. Though the news release mentions it can carry 400 lbs for 20 miles without refueling, it is not absolutely clear that that those are its current capabilities.
And Now... Wildcat
Wildcat, unveiled by Boston Dynamics in October 2013, is slower than Cheetah, but it is untethered, a major advance. Wildcat (see video) is capable of galloping a 4-minute mile (16 mph).
Wildcat Untethered
Android with crude capabilities. Actroid-DER, developed by KOKORO Inc for customer service, appeared in the 2005 Expo Aichi Japan. The robot responds to commands in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English. | Source
Getting even further out there is project Avatar. In the movie Avatar, a soldier's mind is linked with a genetically engineered alien's body. In DARPA's version, a soldier's mind controls an android (a humanoid-shaped robot), which can do dirty work like "room-cleaning", "sentry" and "combat casualty recovery", et al. They'll need to develop interfaces and algorithms to allow the soldier to "partner" with the robot and, not incidentally, build a bipedal robot capable of carrying out the soldier's thought-controls. Currently, both the movie and the robot are science fiction, but $7 million was recently allotted to the project. Judging from BigDog, AlphaDog and Cheetah, the robot may not remain science fiction for long. And think of all the uses Avatar technology could be put to. Yes, think about it.
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