Posts Tagged ‘robotic gait’
Video: Mabel the Robot Sets Speed Record For Bipedal Running
Few robots can run period, but only Mabel can run with such human-like qualities, according to Michigan researchers. Its weight is distributed like a human’s, with a heavy torso and light, flexible legs. Springs in the legs serve as tendons, allowing Mabel to bound like a real runner — it spends 40 percent of each stride in the air, while other running robots are more like speedwalkers, lifting off the ground for only 10 percent of each step.
The robot started off walking quickly over flat surfaces, and its programmers started improving the feedback algorithms that help it maintain its posture, according to a Michigan . Mabel does not quite run free, only moving attached to a metal bar like a horse at longeing.
Mabel’s programmers believe the robot’s realistic gait could be helpful for several applications, from powered prosthetic limbs to robotic exoskeletons. Or imagine a legion of robot runners that a human could ride, ostrich-style.
Home robots and rescue robots with a human stride could also be more effective than the cautious, two-step gait of other humanoids, according to Jessy W. Grizzle, who leads the lab where Mabel was built.
“If you would like to send in robots to search for people when a house is on fire, it probably needs to be able to go up and down stairs, step over the baby's toys on the floor, and maneuver in an environment where wheels and tracks may not be appropriate,” he said.
Mabel was built back in 2008 and researchers have been tweaking its design and programming. In the most recent tests, Mabel reached a top speed of 6.8 miles per hour, a pretty good clip. Watch it run below.
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Cornell’s Ranger Robot Power-Walks into the Record Books With 14.3-Mile Stroll
Ranger, developed by Cornell’s Biorobotics and Locomotion Lab, made 108.5 laps around the running track at roughly 700 feet per lap, logging something like 70,000 steps on a single charge. The untethered ‘bot was controlled remotely by human handlers using a simple toy remote control.
For Ranger, the record-breaking performance spelled redemption. Ranger set a record of 5.6 miles in 2008 only to see Boston Dynamics’ somewhat frightening and much larger more than double the record shortly thereafter, setting the new standard at 12.8 miles.
But it’s also about energy efficiency; while BigDog can climb hills, , and terrify children, Ranger walks with an efficient gate that emulates human walking, swinging its legs to take advantage of gravity and forward momentum. An understanding of the biomechanical tricks that allow robots to increase their efficiency should lead not only to breakthroughs in robotic design, but also in human prosthetics and rehabilitation.
The video below is a bit old, but it does show off the smooth gait that is the key to Ranger's walking prowess.
Sustained, self-contained locomotion is a major component in developing an all-in-one humanoid robot. You can read more on the sole American effort to do just that in our .
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