No one at the Pentagon has plans to stick G.I.s in giant, six-legged, super-strong robots. Yet. But you've got to figure it's only a matter of time, now that a Finnish subsidiary of John Deere is building the machines for new-jack lumberjacks.
In the works for a decade and a half, the Plustech Oy Walking Machine is supposed to be an eco-friendly, log-hauling monstrosity; its six massive legs spreads the weight of the machine evenly, the company claims, to minimize any impact on the forest soil.
"Depending on the terrain, the ground pressure can be adjusted by changing the machines six 'shoes,'" according to Plustech Oy. "When the machine confronts obstacles, it simply steps over them... avoid[ing] significant ground disturbance and minimiz[ing] damage to tree roots.
The company's website doesn't have much detail on the machine. But, in pictures and videos, the spider-like Walker seems to be able to toss around logs and step through the forest with ease. And for a Defense Department keyed up to build walking robots, that would seem like a mighty tempting target.
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