Google takes over military robot-maker Boston Dynamics

Google has confirmed completing acquisition of Boston Dynamics, a company that is known for developing super-fast robots for the US Army. The latest acquisition is considered to be Google’s major push into the field of robotics. Prior to Boston Dynamics, Google has taken over seven robotics firms in the last six months.

According to reports, Google’s Andy Rubin is leading the company’s secretive robotics division. So far, the price and size of the project haven’t been revealed. Google’s other robotics companies include Autofuss and Bot & Dolly, Schaft, Industrial Perception, Meka, Redwood Robotics, and Holomni.

In a statement posted on the Google Plus, Chief Executive Larry Page recently said: “I am excited about Andy Rubin’s next project. His last big bet, Android, started off as a crazy idea that ended up putting a supercomputer in hundreds of millions of pockets. It is still very early days for this, but I can’t wait to see the progress.”

Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 by Marc Raibert, an former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company hasn’t launched robots commercially, but works with US Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Boston Dynamics has developed quite a few robots such as LS3, Atlas, Petman, Cheetah and BigDog. Videos of its walking robots have created a lot of excitement on the web. The BigDog robot is known for its impressive agility. It can climb hills, travels through snow, skitters precariously on ice. WildCat, a four-legged robot, shows off running a car park at high speed.

Google’s new acquisition comes at a time when other Internet companies such as Amazon have also been exploring the field of robotics. Amazon recently created a lot of buzz with its plans to deliver packages via drones within a mere 30 minutes.

Source: The Guardian

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Kul Bhushan