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Two Legged Robot Sets Speed Record
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers in Germany and Scotland have made the fastest two-legged robot yet (for its size) called RunBot. It is controlled by a simple program that mimics the way neurons control reflexes in humans and other animals. From the article: 'We wanted to show that a very simple system with a simple neuronal controller could walk in a natural manner - and fast,' says Florentin Wörgötter, from the University of Göttingen in Germany. The story also features couple of videos of RunBot in action."
Slashdot posts a story saying somebody made a robot that runs really fast, why the heck doesn't it say how fast the thing runs in the summary? Eh? EH???
You don't have to be faster than the killer robot.
You just need to be faster than that any other humans you happen to be with.
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
Althought called "runbot" it's actually a speedwalkerbot. at least that's all the videos show. At no point are fewer than one foot on the ground.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Didn't Qurio claim to be the world's first "running" robot?
I always thought Qurio was great: push him over and no matter what orientation he ends up in, he can get back to his feet again. I think it's not too far away that after they get up off the ground, they come over and slap you for pushing them over...
As to the whole walking thing - it's a fascinating topic I think:
1) walking is a controlled fall, the only thing preventing you from going face-first into the pavement is that next foot fall.
2) Maximum cruising speed is attained in a single revolution. No other animal or engine can claim the same (AFAIK).
How many escape pods are there? "NONE,SIR!" You counted them? "TWICE, SIR!"
I think he's just saying that our robot overlords won't be much larger than a human. Relax. It's good news.
-matthew
"THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS ONLY ME." -Death
That is teh creepiest freaking thing I have ever seen.
Dynamics do not automatically scale in a simple fashion. For instance, a 100 meter cockroach might not move as well proportionately as an ordinary sized one.
But Wörgötter plans to develop a freestanding version next, and thinks it should be straightforward because the boom has only a small influence on its ability to walk.
Well what do you expect him to say, that this approach is hopelessly limited?
This isn't the first time we've seen great mobility from tethered robots, but somehow these guys never manage to produce the untethered version. Getting power and proper balancing to an untethered robot seems to be the critical stumbling block and I would be shocked if this one doesn't hit the same issues.
While I ackowledge the achievement of a robot that 'learns' to walk faster, I am disapointed that it has no balance. In the video it only hangs to a rigid tube, it can't fall on the side, hence the cheap leg structure.
The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.