That's cool and all, but I'm kind of confused as to why they would try to go this route. I think their quadruped designs are more practical. They're just as mobile, can probably carry more weight, and most importantly, are probably physically more stable.
I think the idea is that you solve a lot of other engineering problems when you solve automated bipedal locomotion. Plus sci-fi has been hyping the (probably not super effective) robot soldier for a long time. People want to see something that looks like this.
Historically speaking, people want to see anything but that. Honda discovered people stopped calling them SkyNet when they started making the ASIMO line smaller than people. That's an evolutionary line of increased terror, followed by abrupt cutification.
Same same. Pretend you're a Pakistani NOT terrorist. You're just trying to get through your day. There are drones overhead that can blow you up at any minute (which is extralegal as fuck, by the way) and your primary concerns are access to clean water and earning enough from your blacksmith shop to keep your family in lentils. Aside from the aforementioned "death from above" issues and the fact that the local warlords have started flashing ISIS flags. Suddenly, the US Army shows up as a "peacekeeping" force. Which are you more likely to think is more interested in "keeping the peace", this: Or this? Here's the thing: The United States will never fight a conventional ground war ever again. Period. End of line. The invasion of Iraq took what? A week? While the suppression of Iraq took ten years? And how effective was it? There's no tactical advantage in making Robocop look like Robocop. You are going to have an easier time pacifying Lahore with the Care Bears Army than you ever will with Black Widow Company.
Your comment made me think of two things: 1) two Doctor Who episodes in which new beings slowly infiltrated Earth/London either as "cute" walking lumps of human fat, or inert black cubes that people adopted as pet rocks before the cubes started to take over the world 2) The scene in Age of Ultron where Tony Stark sends a gaggle of his peacekeeping robots to try to calm a crowd, and the crowd starts throwing rocks at them.
Yeah, I was kind of thinking that might be why they'd look into it. Though I figure the two modes of locomotion are diverse enough that there might not be as much cross over. I think we'll get flying cars before we get humanoid robo-soldiers. Though, for my money, I think I'd be willing to settle for this.I think the idea is that you solve a lot of other engineering problems when you solve automated bipedal locomotion.
Plus sci-fi has been hyping the (probably not super effective) robot soldier for a long time. People want to see something that looks like this.
My guess - quadrupeds probably aren't as good at going into houses, and tunnels - they want a robot soldier who can go anywhere a man can go. Two-legs for fighting, four-legs for pack animals.
There is actually a lot of value to creating bipedal humanoid robots, but it may take a while to be realized. Since many things are designed for us to use, having a humanoid robot may enable the robot to learn human affordances. This may make it easier for the robot to "understand" humans and optimize its behavior.
Plus he's more "backwards compatible" with the world. Our entire infrastructure is made for things that are shaped like us. If this robot got orders to move to another country on a lark, he could theoretically steal a car a drive it if he was the right shape. Admittedly, that's more sci-fi than the actual reason, but I do love a good story.