BigDog has an on-board computer that controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors. BigDog’s control system manages the dynamics of its behavior to keep it balanced, steer, navigate, and regulate energetics as conditions vary. Sensors for locomotion include joint position, joint force, ground contact, ground load, a laser gyroscope, and a stereo vision system. Other sensors focus on the internal state of BigDog, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, engine temperature, rpm, battery charge and others.
In separate trials, BigDog runs at 4 mph, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees, walks across rubble, and carries a 340 lb load.
BigDog is being developed by Boston Dynamics with the goal of creating robots that have rough-terrain mobility that can take them anywhere on Earth that people and animals can go. The program is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).
2 comments:
The Difference between a Virus, Worm and Trojan Horse.
The most common blunder people make when the topic of a computer virus arises is to refer to a worm or Trojan horse as a virus. While the words Trojan, worm and virus are often used interchangeably, they are not the same.
A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses, computer viruses can range in severity: Some viruses cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail.
A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any help from a person. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which allows it to travel unaided. The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect.
A Trojan Horse is full of as much trickery as the mythological Trojan Horse it was named after. The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate
Is hacking ethical?
Since The Hacker Manifesto was published in 1986, computer security has become a national concern, especially after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The casual hacker no longer has the freedom to poke around public or private networks without raising the concerns of law enforcement agencies.
Laws have been passed or refined that make it a crime to hack. Many hacktivists and hobbyists are more careful when pursuing their activities to avoid being arrested, fined or jailed for their activities. Many have legitimized their activities and hobbies by taking jobs in the computer security profession, starting their own security consulting companies, working in the open-source community or through other openly public and cooperative ways.
The Computer Security Act of 1987 has received more notice since the Sept. 11 attacks. The act is a declaration by Congress that improving the security and privacy of sensitive information in federal computer systems is in the public interest. The threat of cyberterrorism has increased focus on this piece of legislation, as well as the more recent USA Patriot Act.
As a result of increased anxiety over terrorist threats, federal and state laws have changed to make it an offense to "break and enter" a private or public network without permission. Federal law has required companies to comply with privacy requirements, business controls and corporate governance standards. These laws have brought pressure to bear on our increasing responsibility to secure the infrastructure and have made it more difficult for hackers to practice their hacktivism, hobbies or research.
Technology has also affected hacking activities. In response to legislation about privacy, business controls and terrorism, companies interested in capitalizing on the opportunities that exist have developed and manufactured sophisticated security hardware and software. The increased sophistication of these products has made the job of the hacker more difficult, and the casual hacker may stupidly get caught when attempting to circumvent a complex security system
Post a Comment