this is a link to a video of the Big Dog robot. The legs are based on a study of human knees and deer and goat legs. It is a pretty literal example of biomimicry, but the results are pretty amazing. The Big Dog was developed for military applications but also has a lot of potential for search and rescue and space exploration. I was interested by how the animal-like motion of the legs inspired sympathy in me when it was slipping on the ice…
Yes, this video really bums me out. The movement not only makes me sympathetic but the sound as well.