You might not know this, but you can literally never have enough all-terrain quadrupedal robots... at least according to us (John Connor might disagree). So, while HyQ from the Italian Institute of Technology might bear more than a passing resemblance to Boston Dynamic's Big Dog, we won't hold it against the creators. The Hydraulic Quadruped robot (HyQ for short) was first dreamed up in 2008, but the project is only now coming into its own. Researchers at IIT took the bot for a stroll outside of the confines of a laboratory and treadmill for the first time. They've also stepped up the treadmill testing by bumping up the incline and practically throwing obstacles at it. Impressively, HyQ holds his own, even as his creators pelt it with shipping pallets. Check out the video after the break to see the cybernetic crawler in action.

Continue reading HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video)

HyQ is the latest all-terrain quadruped bot, tells Big Dog to bring it on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.