Google confirmed that it had purchased Boston Dynamics, which is famous for engineering research robots for the Pentagon, robots like BigDog.
Their robots are known to be able to walk and even run quite fast in a balanced manner, according to The New York Times.
The acquisition is the eighth by Google of robotic companies in 2013 alone. Google has been fairly mum on why they keep buying up robotic companies, but some guess that the technology company wants to develop robots to help work in warehouses and more.
In an email, Boston Dynamics co-founder Marc Raibert said, "We are looking forward to this next chapter in robotics and in what we can accomplish as part of the Google team," reports PC World.
The robotics company has developed several robots already, with its latest WildCat, designed to reach impressive speeds, regardless of the terrain. Another robot, Cheetah, is able to run up to 28 mph on its four legs, while Petman is a humanoid robot capable of a balanced walk and features human physiology simulations. The company has several more robots it has shown off via YouTube.
NY Times notes that despite working with the Pentagon on projects, Raibert doesn't see Boston Dynamics as a military contractor, noting that the company has a contract with Darpa to develop robots, which could help out during natural disasters in situations that would be quite lethal to humans.
image: Wikimedia Commons
