If Boston Dynamics robots are particularly impressive in video, that of Dynamic Legged Systems Lab, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, does not demerit either. Soberly dubbed HyQReal, this one was able to pull a three-ton plane behind him.
A scary robot ?
In a video of just over three minutes, we can see the small quadruped robot attached to an aircraft by a powerful cable. Over a dozen meters, HyQReal pulls the long jet more than 45 feet, or about 13 meters. In comparison the robot is 4 feet long and 3 inches high, which is 1.2 meters for 90 centimeters in height. It weighs nearly 130 kilos while including a battery of 15 kilos.
Claudio Semini, Project Manager of IIT’s Dynamic Legged Systems Laboratory, said in a statement about the feat: ” The towing of an aircraft allowed us to demonstrate the strength of the robot, the energy autonomy and to highlight a design adapted to the uses […] We wanted to try something that had never been done before, and last week we managed “.
The autonomy of the robot is not known, as well as its possible commercialization. Nevertheless, this small quadruped is reminiscent of the devices that Boston Dynamics regularly showcases in impressive videos. A few months ago, the American firm had actually unveiled a video showing ten SpotMini shooting a truck on several meters while walking in step. The firm said the robot in question had an autonomy of 90 minutes. She had also indicated that she foresaw future commercialization.
If these robots impress and fascinate, the videos also have a slightly scary side that is reminiscent of some of the episodes of season 3 of the series Black Mirror.