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Giant 'Leap' for Robotics
legoburner writes "An AFP article is reporting that Toyota has developed a robot leg that can jump like a human's, an evolution from today's stiff-jointed machines. The leg is a strange-looking standalone device and Toyota claims it will enable robots to jump about, run faster and handle unpaved roads more smoothly."
Bionic Arm + Bionic Leg = 1 step closer to becoming 6 Million Dollar Man
we are but one step closer to the fearsome reign of Robot Nixon.
Push Button, Receive Bacon
does it run linux?
*ducks*
it hasnt got a leg to stand on - oh..
You just click the link, click "Select prior issue", set the date to 14-09-2006, click "Go", go back to the "Article not found" page and refresh.
One Small Jump for a Robo; One Giant Leap for Robokind
TFA on a link that does work:
http://www.physorg.com/news77352568.html (google toyota robot leg)
The one-meter (3.3-foot) leg has a joint on its toe letting it jump as high as four centimeters (1.6 inches) by bending and stretching its toe and another knee-like joint, Japan's top automaker said Wednesday.
"This is a basic technology that can be applied to a two-legged robot in future," said a Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman.
"It was a difficult step for robots," she said. "But it was made possible after making a number of prototypes."
Besides the joy of jumping about, robots will also be able to run faster and to handle unpaved roads more smoothly, the company said.
Toyota, the world's number two automaker which is expected soon to surpass General Motors, has increasingly taken on robot development.
Toyota humanoids welcomed visitors to the company's pavillion at the 2005 World Expo in Japan, jamming in a brass ensemble and performing hip-hop routines.
Is there yet any robot that can actually walk? By walking, I mean walk like a human, where each step is slight fall forward, and not walk like current robots, where balance is kept at all times.
If such a robot exists, can someone please post a link?
Adventure, Romance, MAD SCIENCE!
Check out the robo-child-bearing thighs on that sexbot!
You can read the article here, here or here.
Robot AI Mind.Forth goes beyond mere jumping and gives a robot the smarts for thinking like a human being.
Artificial life for robots is the joint development of a sound mind in a sound body for jump-for-Joy robots.
The Joint Stewardship of Earth lets robots jump into a position of equality with human beings in running the planet Earth.
Technological Singularity by 2012 will be the Great Leap Forward in the co-evolution of intelligent humans and superintelligent robots.
JavaScript for AI describes how even a simple language like JavaScript can leap into action with tutorial artificial intelligence for amateur robot-makers.
Turing Store Books are all about the Great Leap to artificially intelligent robots.
JavaScript Mind.html is the tutorial version of the Robot AI Mind.Forth.
I have seen the Honda ASIMO videos. I have actually seen the robot LIVE on Robocup in Japan. Our humanoid booth was next to the stage where all humanoids performed.
I have NEVER seen that robot walk like a human. I have NEVER seen that robot do anything that resembles running.
Adventure, Romance, MAD SCIENCE!
Yeah, you would never use linux. Instead, you would use a hard real time OS that are used heavily in jets or rockets.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
It's probably a good idea to emphasize that RTLinux ISN'T Linux. It is a minimal real-time core upon which the Linux kernel runs. The core can pre-empt the Linux kernel to handle real-time requests.
I for one welcome our new bouncy overlords.
The link worked when I submitted it over 36 hours ago. Ah well, slow editors, here is an alternate link to the same AFP syndicated story: physorg and also Yahoo.
Warhammer forums
At last, now there is something an Aibo can properly hump. Here boy!
Toyota must be working on a robot that will really kick some Asimo!
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
While I see the advantage of bipedal robots I can't help but think we may be going to wrong direction. Four or even six legs are far more stable and efficient. I'd like to see more work on centaur-like robots in the house. This type of design would allow them to interact in normal human ways but also carry much more. Not only that, kids could ride the robots around! Or maybe even bear-like robots that can stand upright and walk around when needed but drop to all fours when going long distances or carrying large heavy loads.
Thermal depolymerization - Lazy recycling.
What you're looking at is a one-legged hopper. Locomotion researchers find it useful to work on one-legged hoppers because the system is simple enough to be analyzed analytically.
The new feature of this leg seems to be that it has three active joints with sufficient power behind them for jumping. Most legged robots, such as the BDI Big Dog, only have two active joints in the leg, although some have a weak or passive ankle. This is enough to position the leg to any point in the working envelope, and it's not obvious what a third joint buys you. ASIMO has an "ankle", but it's used only to align the foot with the ground, not for active running; ASIMO runs flat-footed, not on the ball of the foot. This Toyota machine seems to have both an ankle and a toe joint.
This is a big win, as I described back in 1995 in my "Why Legs have Three Joints" paper. With three joints involved in running and jumping, you gain control over the force vector for ground contact, which allows slip control. Also, the hip joint (which is usually the most powerful) can be used more effectively; the lower joints position the leg so that the hip muscles can do most of the work. For humans, this is subtle, because the ankle-toe distance is small. It's much clearer for horses, where the hind leg has three sections of roughly equal length.