New algorithm enables MIT cheetah robot to run and jump, untethered, across grass.
Speed and agility are hallmarks of the cheetah: The big predator is the fastest land animal on Earth, able to accelerate to 60 mph in just a few seconds. As it ramps up to top speed, a cheetah pumps its legs in tandem, bounding until it reaches a full gallop.
Now MIT researchers have developed an algorithm for bounding that they’ve successfully implemented in a robotic cheetah — a sleek, four-legged assemblage of gears, batteries, and electric motors that weighs about as much as its feline counterpart. The team recently took the robot for a test run on MIT’s Killian Court, where it bounded across the grass at a steady clip.
In experiments on an indoor track, the robot sprinted up to 10 mph, even continuing to run after clearing a hurdle. The MIT researchers estimate that the current version of the robot may eventually reach speeds of up to 30 mph.
The key to the bounding algorithm is in programming each of the robot’s legs to exert a certain amount of force in the split second during which it hits the ground, in order to maintain a given speed: In general, the faster the desired speed, the more force must be applied to propel the robot forward. Sangbae Kim, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, hypothesizes that this force-control approach to robotic running is similar, in principle, to the way world-class sprinters race.
“Many sprinters, like Usain Bolt, don’t cycle their legs really fast,” Kim says. “They actually increase their stride length by pushing downward harder and increasing their ground force, so they can fly more while keeping the same frequency.”
Kim says that by adapting a force-based approach, the cheetah-bot is able to handle rougher terrain, such as bounding across a grassy field. In treadmill experiments, the team found that the robot handled slight bumps in its path, maintaining its speed even as it ran over a foam obstacle.
“Most robots are sluggish and heavy, and thus they cannot control force in high-speed situations,” Kim says. “That’s what makes the MIT cheetah so special: You can actually control the force profile for a very short period of time, followed by a hefty impact with the ground, which makes it more stable, agile, and dynamic.”
The Latest on: Running robot
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Running robot” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Running robot
- Humanoid Robot With AI Mind Is Meant to Think Just Like People, And It’s Learningon May 2, 2024 at 1:10 am
Canadian startup Sanctuary AI introduces the seventh generation of the Phoenix robot with a mind and capabilities meant to mimic the human one ...
- InOrbit introduces RobOps Copilot for mobile robot fleet insightson May 1, 2024 at 6:01 am
InOrbit says this new product will provide actionable robot operations and fleet insights to anyone, regardless of technical expertise.
- Best deals on robot vacuums ahead of Memorial Dayon April 30, 2024 at 12:33 pm
It's time for a thorough house cleaning this spring, and a robot vacuum can help you do all the heavy lifting.
- Robots can't outrun animals. A new study explores whyon April 30, 2024 at 4:25 am
The question may be the 21st century's version of the fable of the tortoise and the hare: Who would win in a foot race between a robot and an animal?
- This is the first humanoid electric robot that can run at 6km/hon April 29, 2024 at 4:34 am
The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center launched its electric humanoid robot “Tiangong” on Saturday. My Drivers, via Kuai Technology, reported that the launch took place in the Beijing Economic ...
- Humanoid robots are learning to fall wellon April 28, 2024 at 1:15 pm
The savvy marketers at Boston Dynamics produced two major robotics news cycles last week. As I write this, the sub-40 second video is steadily approaching five million views. The accompanying video ...
- Chinese company unveils humanoid running robot with large-scale commercial potentialon April 27, 2024 at 7:00 am
Tiangong, a humanoid robot described as the world's first full-sized humanoid robot capable of running solely on electric drive, was unveiled in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area on ...
- China unveils “Tiangong”: First fully electric humanoid robot capable of running at 6 km/hon April 27, 2024 at 5:10 am
China's Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center unveils "Tiangong," a robot capable of human-like running at 6 km/h.
- World's fastest humanoid robot unveiled – but there's something odd about how it runson April 26, 2024 at 7:00 am
A Chinese firm has created the world’s fastest humanoid robot – but don’t worry, you can probably still outrun it. For now.
- Evolution vs. Engineering: Why Can’t Robots Outrun Animals?on April 24, 2024 at 11:00 am
Despite superior individual components, robots lag behind animals in overall performance, suggesting a future focus on better system integration and control in robotics. Robotics engineers have worked ...
via Bing News