U.S. Army Adaptive Suspension Vehicle - GIF

[Altair]

U.S. Army Adaptive Suspension Vehicle from the 1980s.




Previously:

Early robots from the 1960s - GIF
Robot jockeys for camel racing - photo and video
Hotel housekeeping robot - GIF
Self-balancing autonomous logistics robot - GIF
Autonomous pallet robots - GIF

[ductape]

More about it for those interested. This was 40 years before robot dogs were available on Amazon now for $2500.

[IntheGroove]

Someone made this after seeing that...
http://moltensteelman.com/thewalkingbeast.html

[imohtep56]

Someone watched too much Star Wars...

Back in the 1960's, General Electric toyed with a "walking truck":

[sossol]

John Deere built a walking log harvester called the Timberjack. Deere bought the the company who developed it. Deere promptly canceled the program and sold a wheeled version.

Neil

[hemmjo]

Looks like JD saw something that was a very good idea.They did not want to face that kind of competition. They bought the program along with the pattens. Then stuffed the idea in a drawer so no one else can use those ideas.

Way to go JD.

[Floradawg]

The Chinese probably stole the plans before it was even perfected.

[sossol]

The Chinese probably stole the plans before it was even perfected.

The Timberjack was a European creation, but this still applies. It is true that there are copies and theft, but most Chinese copies are a result of companies moving production to China to meet the price point buyers demand.

Neil

[Ronj]

Looks like JD saw something that was a very good idea.They did not want to face that kind of competition. They bought the program along with the pattens. Then stuffed the idea in a drawer so no one else can use those ideas.

Way to go JD.

Years ago I read a story about GM buying a patent for a rotary engine in the 1950's and put it in a drawer too. I think somebody probably has a cancer cure stuck in a drawer also.

[sossol]

Years ago I read a story about GM buying a patent for a rotary engine in the 1950's and put it in a drawer too. I think somebody probably has a cancer cure stuck in a drawer also.

GM licensed the NSU rotary in the 60s with the intent to build a rotary-powered mid-engine Corvette. They built the car and the 4-rotor engine. They cancelled the project for various reasons (Corvette fanbois couldn't handle the notion of anything other than a front-mounted V8). A 2-rotor was being considered for another GM car, and the plan was to also supply AMC with rotary engines for the Pacer. When GM cancelled the rotary program it left AMC in a lurch because they didn't have an alternate engine that fit the body profile. The hump in the grill & hood is an accommodation for the taller engine they had to use.

Mazda has all of the same poor fuel economy and oil consumption problems with the rotary, but didn't care. It was their party piece.

Fun fact: The engine is referred to as the Wankel rotary, but it is neither a Wankel design or a rotary. It is based on Wankel's engine, but it is not a rotary engine (a rotary engine revolves around a fixed crankshaft). Wankel's engine rotated. NSU revised it to a fixed-block, but kept the figure-eight dorito and the moniker. Mazda, GM, Mercedes, Suzuki et al licensed the NSU engine, rather than the Wankel.

Yes, I am a bit of a rotary fanboi.


Neil