TORO can respond sensitively to its environment
It began in the summer of 2009, with two legs and a camera mounted on top – but it was still far from being a robot of humanoid appearance. Gradually, the TOrque controlled humanoid RObot (TORO), the German Aerospace Center‘s (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) walking machine, has become more human-like – an upper body, a head with camera eyes and arms have been added. TORO is now complete, with forearms and hands with sensors and flexible joints that allow it to respond to its environment with exceptional sensitivity. TORO must now learn, step by step, how to perform simple human actions – climbing stairs or opening doors, for example. “Now that the robotic body is complete, we can test processes where the robot carries out sequences of movements with foresight and fluency,” explains Project Manager Christian Ott.
Walking with sentience
Being a walking machine, there is one thing that TORO can, of course, do well – walk. The robot smoothly sets one foot down after the other and moves forwards in small steps. Although the speed is not great, with every step TORO detects the forces at work via sensors in its feet. Torque sensors in the joints ensure that the robot reacts flexibly to its environment. When the walking machine is standing still, it can compensate for impacts against its legs. TORO even manages to do this on a tilt board. “We are working on making it function even better when walking,” says Ott. TORO does this with remarkably small feet. This is a difficult obstacle that the scientists have chosen for themselves. “On the one hand, we wanted to make it more difficult by using a small footprint, but on the other, it enables the robot to climb over obstacles more easily.” The inclusion of an upper body and arms has added another challenge.
Experimenting on two legs
For the researchers, the walking machine is not merely a robot that is expected to learn and master specific tasks; it is a testing ground for all the technology required. While other robots are primarily expected to move around a known environment in a programmed way, researchers want TORO to develop other talents. Above all, they expect to prove its ability to operate independently, flexibly and safely in a new, unknown environment. To do this, the researchers at the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics are drawing on knowledge they already have; TORO’s arms and legs are based on DLR’s lightweight robots, which are already being used in car manufacturing. These, too, are fitted with sensors and react flexibly to any external disturbances. The researchers chose particularly powerful motors for the walking machine’s legs. The motors for the arms needed to be somewhat less powerful. In terms of TORO’s appearance, this means powerful legs and thinner arms.
Human intuition
With its arms and hands, TORO will now move on to the next phase of development, in which the interaction with the environment will be even greater.
The Latest Bing News on:
TORO robot
- Best robot vacuums in 2024 tested and ratedon May 8, 2024 at 11:55 am
The best robot vacuums blend sharp design with top-class cleaning performance. We've called in and tested dozens of models to find those that deliver the strongest pick-up, smart features ...
- Toro Lawn Mowers Reviewson May 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
I kept my snapper as a back up and have to end up using it because it cranks every time. $600 for this Toro and it’ll get you through 1 season, if you’re lucky.
- The Best Lawn Mowers for Every Yard, Testedon May 3, 2024 at 10:16 am
Get the Toro Super Recycler lawn mower at Ace Hardware ... It functions similarly to a robot vacuum cleaner by mowing a preset area of up to a quarter acre on its own. The operator sets up wire ...
- The Best Robot Vacuums for 2024on April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Robot vacuums with around 2,500Pa can still lift pet hair, but might need more passes to get it all. Dyson, which uses the less common metric of air watts, says its new 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum ...
- Humanoid robots are learning to fall wellon April 28, 2024 at 1:15 pm
It’s a welcome reminder that for every time the robot sticks the landing on video there are dozens of slips, falls and sputters. Image Credits: Boston Dynamics I’ve long championed this sort ...
- Athletics' Abraham Toro: Added to lineup Wednesdayon April 24, 2024 at 3:50 pm
Toro is starting at second base and batting sixth for Wednesday's outing against the Yankees. The switch-hitting infielder was originally left out of the starting nine for Wednesday's matchup, but ...
- Make robots hairyon April 18, 2024 at 7:15 am
On Wednesday, Boston Dynamics announced the new version of its Atlas robot with a characteristically unsettling video. In it, a humanoid android lifts itself up from the floor by bending its legs ...
- Boston Dynamics’ new humanoid moves like no robot you’ve ever seenon April 17, 2024 at 7:08 am
Boston Dynamics has a new humanoid robot that the company says represents a path to commercialization. It's the company's next-generation, all-electric "Atlas" robot. While new Atlas and old Atlas ...
- Boston Dynamics Atlas robot: a full historyon April 16, 2024 at 3:58 pm
After 11 years, Boston Dynamics has said goodbye to its humanoid robot Atlas — but only the hydraulic version. In a video posted on YouTube, the robotics company says it’s time for Atlas to ...
- Meet The New AI-Robot Billionaireon April 15, 2024 at 3:30 am
“Figure 01, can you choose a healthy snack for me from that basket?” Brett Adcock asks the humanoid robot lurking behind a table close by. Its options are an orange and a bag of chip ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
TORO robot
[google_news title=”” keyword=”TORO robot” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Humanoid robot
- D'Youville's 2024 commencement celebrates students despite AI robot speakeron May 11, 2024 at 1:10 pm
The decision to have a humanoid robot address D’Youville University’s Class of 2024 drew weeks of criticism from faculty and students. But in the end, the ceremony for 438 graduating students was a ...
- Team compares robot-assisted language learning systems and human tutors in English conversation lessonson May 9, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Advancements in large language models, robotics, and software such as text-to-speech, have made it possible to develop robots that can understand language, interact physically, and communicate ...
- Comparative analysis of robot-assisted language learning systems and human tutors in English conversation lessonson May 9, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Researchers compared students' English-speaking abilities when interacting with current mainstream robot-assisted language learning (RALL) systems versus human tutors. They discovered that students ...
- Top 7 Humanoid Robotson May 9, 2024 at 10:09 am
Humanoid robotics entrepreneur, Herbert Ong, gives a compilation of the top 7 humanoid robotics companies. He reviews the humanoid robots with video clips of the robots and his insights from talking ...
- Lifelike robot invasion: Inside China’s insane humanoid factoryon May 9, 2024 at 8:29 am
A short video clip circulating on social media has sparked amusement and concern as it unveils the inner workings of a Chinese humanoid robot factory. The video offers a glimpse of numerous humanoid ...
- Generative AI is speeding up human-like robot development. What that means for jobson May 7, 2024 at 6:56 pm
ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence is speeding up research and bringing humanoid robots closer to reality in China, home to many of the world's factories.
- New humanoid robot set to join job market: 'Stunning'on May 7, 2024 at 6:48 am
Kurt 'CyberGuy' Knutsson joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the latest evolution in robotic technology from Boston Dynamics and what to expect from Apple's upcoming 'Let Loose' event.
- Swiss startup to advance collaborative robots with GenAI humanoid handon May 7, 2024 at 12:55 am
Zurich-based mimic has raised $2.5mn to further develop its AI-powered humanoid hand that can perform repetitive and demanding manual tasks.
- Tesla releases new Optimus humanoid robot video that creates controversyon May 6, 2024 at 1:42 pm
Tesla has released a new video of a prototype of Optimus, its humanoid robot, and it created some controversy as some disagree about how impressive it is.
- Electric humanoid robot poised to shake up the job marketon May 4, 2024 at 3:00 am
The fully electric Atlas 2.0 robot was designed for real-world applications, and it is capable of lifting and maneuvering heavy, irregular objects.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Humanoid robot
[google_news title=”” keyword=”humanoid robot” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]