Comment Re:Cool, yes. Useful? (Score 1) 193
Whoa boy. I'm not a scientist, but I can take a crack at a better comparison.
First off, what is a mule? I'll bet that even the average Slashdot reader only has a vague idea. A mule is the result of mating a male donkey and a female horse. Mules have 63 chromosomes that are a mixture of one from each parent. A donkey has 62 chromosomes and a horse has 64.
In the last century, before tractors arrived en masse, mules in farming communities were common. US census figures for 1910 show a total of 4,101,00 mules in use around the country. So, yes, rural America was covered in mule shit.
In comparing a mule to Big Dog, we need a standard measure. A 'real live mule' might come in under 50 pounds for a toy mule to entertain children, to over 1500 pounds. Mules are usually in the range of 600 to 900 pounds, so let's take 900 pounds as a comparison.
The typical average carry weight for a mule in good shape is 20% of its own body weight. So assuming our 'real live mule' is well fed, well shod and has no pack sores, our mule might carry 180 pounds for us. This gives us a ratio of carry load to body weight (CL/BW) of .2. According to the video, Big Dog weighs 235 pounds and can carry 340 pounds. This gives us a ratio of carry load to body weight (CL/BW) of 1.45.
Carry loads are only one aspect of the comparison. In Big Dog's favor are many issues involved in caring for live animals in harsh conditions. Supplying enough water and feed, survival in extreme cold or extreme heat and treating the battlefield wounds of a live animal are all other elements to consider.
In the mule's favor, there are many unknowns: how long at maximum load on a tank of gas? What's the MTBF? And what do you do about that god awful noise? A mechanical engineer can probably give us a good idea about this, but I suspect that Big Dog needs frequent gas station breaks.
A final plus for mule may be that, should worse come to worse, you can always eat the mule; something soldiers have been doing for millennium.
First off, what is a mule? I'll bet that even the average Slashdot reader only has a vague idea. A mule is the result of mating a male donkey and a female horse. Mules have 63 chromosomes that are a mixture of one from each parent. A donkey has 62 chromosomes and a horse has 64.
In the last century, before tractors arrived en masse, mules in farming communities were common. US census figures for 1910 show a total of 4,101,00 mules in use around the country. So, yes, rural America was covered in mule shit.
In comparing a mule to Big Dog, we need a standard measure. A 'real live mule' might come in under 50 pounds for a toy mule to entertain children, to over 1500 pounds. Mules are usually in the range of 600 to 900 pounds, so let's take 900 pounds as a comparison.
The typical average carry weight for a mule in good shape is 20% of its own body weight. So assuming our 'real live mule' is well fed, well shod and has no pack sores, our mule might carry 180 pounds for us. This gives us a ratio of carry load to body weight (CL/BW) of
Carry loads are only one aspect of the comparison. In Big Dog's favor are many issues involved in caring for live animals in harsh conditions. Supplying enough water and feed, survival in extreme cold or extreme heat and treating the battlefield wounds of a live animal are all other elements to consider.
In the mule's favor, there are many unknowns: how long at maximum load on a tank of gas? What's the MTBF? And what do you do about that god awful noise? A mechanical engineer can probably give us a good idea about this, but I suspect that Big Dog needs frequent gas station breaks.
A final plus for mule may be that, should worse come to worse, you can always eat the mule; something soldiers have been doing for millennium.
