Seen here blowing a dapper old man’s mind, a pair of metal Terminator legs go for a stroll on a treadmill without any motors or added power . Magic? No — physics . Okay, magic. “This robot is walking down a slope, and its only source of power is potential energy. It doesn’t use any kind of motor or control, so we think it’s very environmentally friendly.” “The robot has three main parts: thighs, lower legs, and ankles. It’s made of aluminum, and it contains only mechanical components, which have been adjusted so that the robot has the same thigh and leg lengths as a person, and weighs the same.” In a walking test last year, this robot walked continuously for 13 hours, taking 100,000 steps and going 15 km. That achievement has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Aaaaaaaaah, it only works downhill — I knew there had to be a catch. Man, that makes it like, way less impressive. I thought we were hot on the heels(!) of a perpetual motion machine, but nooooooooooooo . Hey scientists: you know what else can walk down hills? Wheels . Back me up, caveman. Caveman? *audience screaming* …He’s behind me dragging a woman around by the hair, isn’t he? Hit the jump for two videos, the second of which has human-sized “muscles” added to the legs to make them look even creepier.

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Terminator Legs Walk With No Added Power

This is Midnite (not to be confused with mid night , which is when your carriage turns back into a pumpkin). Midnite is a little horsey who was born without part of a back leg . His original owner, without the decency to contact somebody who might be able to help or putting a bullet in his head, opted to neglect him instead. Eventually, he was confiscated by authorities (who hopefully taught the owner what it feels like to be missing a leg — *PEW PEW* I SAID DANCE, COWBOY!), and delivered to Ranch Hand Rescue, who in turn worked with Forth Worth Prosthetic Care to slap a prosthetic on the lil guy. They were hoping he’d be able to walk with his new leg, but after just his second fitting, Midnite was running (WARNING: VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP INCLUDES FOOTAGE OF MIDNITE RUNNING FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WILL MAKE YOU CRY). Boom — happy ending. And as for that original, neglectful owner… *tossing duffel-bag of zip-ties and duct tape in trunk* Roooooad trip! Hit the jump for the heartwarming video news report.

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Hi-Ho Silver Midnite!: Lil Horsey Gets 2nd Chance At Life With Custom Prosthetic Leg

“Dammit, GW, spiders have eight legs.” YOU SHUT UP. This is SAMSA II, a hexapod robot built by Uruguayan Geekologie Reader pabloxid. Why he decided to send me a video of the thing I have no idea, but I assume it has something to do with luring me to Uruguay to rough him up a bit only to fall into some sort of robotic trap and get my nuts tampered with for awhile. NO THANKS. That said, I was too afraid to watch this thing alone so I made my ladyfriend watch it with me (who hates robots almost as much as I do and spiders even more) and she started beating laptop’s monitor with a rolled up magazine . WTF? GIRL CALM DOWN AND USE YOUR FLIP-FLOP! Hit the jump for the arachnaboticphobia in action.

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What Are You, Taunting Me?: Geekologie Reader Builds Homemade Robotic Spider

Look down — what do you see? A Cheeto -dusted penis? Wash your hands after snacking. But for those of you looking at a nonfunctional lower half , there’s new hope, all thanks to Rex bionic legs . After seven years of secret development and and $10 million of investment the high-tech unit was unveiled in Auckland today. The unit weighs 38kg and is operated by a joystick. It enables a wheelchair user to stand, walk and go up and down steps and slopes. Director Paul Dyson said the technology was unique and he expected sales to go from single digits per month, to dozens each month next year. the anticipated cost of a Rex unit would be US$150,000 abroad and about $150,000 locally. ”I knew deep down one day I’d stand back up. I’ll never forget what it was like to see my feet walking under me for the first time I used Rex.” *sniff* Heartwarming, isn’t it? It’s almost enough to make me not want to club them out from under the person using them. Almost. THIS IS GONNA HURT ME A LOT MORE THAN IT IS YOU. *thwack!* Oh — no that definitely hurt you more. Hit the jump for a five-minute video of the legs doin’ their thang.

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New Zealand Company’s REX Bionic Legs

Oscar the grouch kitty was sleeping in a field when his back legs got run over by a combine harvester. That story smelling fishy as shit aside, now he has bionic legs. His new kitten heels were designed with custom-made implants, which “peg” the ankle to the foot and mimic the way deer antler bone grows through skin. In a three-hour procedure, the veterinary surgical team inserted the pegs by drilling into one of Oscar’s ankle bones in each of his back legs. The implants, which are attached to the bone at the amputation site, were coated with hydroxyapatite to encourages bone cells to grow onto the metal. Oscar was trying to stand a day after the surgery and, despite some problems with infection, he was able to bear weight equally on all four limbs within four months. Fitzpatrick said the patient had made a remarkable recovery. “Oscar can now run and jump about as cats do,” he said. Heartwarming, isn’t it? Also kind of gross. But mostly heartwarming. I swear, medicine’s sure come a long way, hasn’t it? Reminds me of the time my little sister broke her arm. We had to put her down . Video report with bionic-foot footage after the jump.

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Your Kneading Feels Different: A Bionic Kitty

Because everybody deserves the right to shoot animals , a 46-year old quadriplegic will now be hunting in New Jersey with the assistance of a mouth -operated 12-gauge shotgun . Jamie Cap, 46, was injured in an accident 30 years ago while playing American football. A head-on tackle resulted in a neck injury that left him a quadriplegic and robbed him of hunting, one of his passions. “I don’t know if there are words,” he said. “I’m so happy. When you find you can do something again after 30 years, you can’t put a price on that. Some people think it’s nothing, but try being paralysed for 30 years and then come talk to me.” For a quadriplegic, firing a shotgun requires help from a companion. In Mr Cap’s case, a friend sets up the contraption, safety on, on Mr Cap’s wheelchair and Mr Cap aims the shotgun by moving the toggle switch with his mouth. Once his partner releases the safety, Mr Cap fires by sipping on the breathing tube. BLAM! *bleeding* Damnit. Jamie. Coke. on. right. US quadriplegic man wins right to go hunting [telegraph] Thanks to Malice, who feels sorry for New Jersey deer, but only because they live in Jersey.

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Pew Pew?: Quadriplegic Man Wins Right To Hunt With Mouth-Operated Shotgun