So they can spend millions developing the robot, but the best they can do for tracking while they film from the side is a guy pushing another guy in a big plastic box on wheels. Way to go geeks!
MIT is probably developing advanced algorithms for the Boston Dynamics platform.
I actually can't find any information on their site that that's the case either. I'd have thought they would mention that if it were the case, and this looks a bit different from any of the Boston Dynamics ones I could find.
Since Google owns Boston Dynamics, perhaps this has been 'spun out' or is otherwise detached. There are some pretty strict IP rules in Google and at MIT so it would make sense to spin this out. But either way it is confusing to have the same name on a robot that looks the same but with two different parent institutions.
Good catch - I just assumed it was related to Boston Dynamics because the tech looks so similar. Rookie error.
DARPA is providing Boston Robotics hardware platforms to some university teams.
It's not a problem. It's amusing. Juxtaposition is a common form of humor, and whether or not MIT indented the humor, it is funny to see a multimillion dollar autonomous robot get filmed with such a primitive technique.
Next up: Throwing wrenches at the robot to see if it can play dodge ball.
I found this to be the most entertaining aspect of the video. The contrast between all this technology, alongside a "buddy powered" film crew is wonderful.
I wish they'd spend a few bucks on a head, too. That thing looks like it was just decapitated and is in its death throes, running on reflex.
I really liked that part. You don't really get the feel for how fast this giant bot is moving and jumping until you see some humans struggling to keep up with it.
Isn't it the perfect parable for SW dev/Engineering ?
They likely didn't spend millions, but got (hardware for) the robot for free from Boston Dynamics.