404 — Here's Handle, the new robot from Boston Dynamics that will soon be protecting DAPL et al

If I saw this thing coming toward me, I'd poop my pants. The security industry is changing by the second. Can you imagine these robots protecting the DAPL pipeline? They soon will be. And then what will peaceful protestors do? These are exactly the issues I cover in my recent novel, 4o4 - A John Decker Thriller, about the surveillance state, recently listed as a Top Ten Amazon Bestseller in Technothrillers.

Handle is a research robot that stands 6.5 ft tall, travels at 9 mph and jumps 4​ ​feet vertically. ​It uses electric power to operate both electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of about 15 miles on one battery charge. ​​​Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance and mobile manipulation principles​ found in the quadruped and biped robots Boston Dynamic builds, but with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs Handle can have the best of both worlds.