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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."

20 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. If you couple it with this one... by rtyall · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bionic Arm + Bionic Leg = 1 step closer to becoming 6 Million Dollar Man

    1. Re:If you couple it with this one... by MrNaz · · Score: 4, Funny

      I bet they'll cost an arm and a leg though.

      --
      I hate printers.
    2. Re:If you couple it with this one... by imsabbel · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Even as a child i wondered just HOW that robotic arm could lift up a car... if its connected to a rather normal shoulder....

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      HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    3. Re:If you couple it with this one... by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 4, Funny
      Who needs an arm? Hello, World Cup, thank you Mr. Roboto! Soccer will never be the same again.

      However, things will not be complete until someone develops a French head-butting robot.

    4. Re:If you couple it with this one... by pcgabe · · Score: 3, Funny
      Who needs an arm? Hello, World Cup

      Argentina has expressly asked for the arm...
      --
      Don't put advice in your sig.
  2. yeah but, by DohnJoe · · Score: 5, Funny

    does it run linux?

    *ducks*

    1. Re:yeah but, by OnesAndNoughts · · Score: 5, Funny

      I hop so...

    2. Re:yeah but, by HugePedlar · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's times like this that I wish there was a "-1 Lame" moderation option.

      Get it? Lame? Oh, come on.

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      Argh.
  3. Re:Article not found by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    it hasnt got a leg to stand on - oh..

  4. One small Jump by EqualSlash · · Score: 4, Funny

    One Small Jump for a Robo; One Giant Leap for Robokind

  5. karma whoring here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  6. Run faster? by odourpreventer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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?

    1. Re:Run faster? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      I hate to send a slashdotting to such a nice group of guys, but the Big Dog made by Boston Dynamics might be what you are looking for.
      http://www.bdi.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

      While it doesn't have 2 legged operation it does operate in the "falling forward" way of walking. Check out that video where the guy gives it a swift kick to the side and it just sways and regains it's balance. Looks uncannily lifelike.

  7. Read it here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can read the article here, here or here.

  8. Re:Conjecture by WindBourne · · Score: 4, Insightful
    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  9. Re:Conjecture by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  10. obligatory by owlnation · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one welcome our new bouncy overlords.

  11. Re:Article not found by legoburner · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

  12. Re:Giant Leap for Robot Artificial Intelligence by Dogsbody_D · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't mod him up, he's a mentalist. AI4U, Mentifex, Arthur T. Murray. He's a known crackpot who has been bugging genuine AI researchers for years. Oh, but, dear Slashdot reader, you always support the underdog you say, big business and academia always ignore the maverick genius. Alright then, go on and waste your time reading the links and come back to us with a report...

  13. Should come with an Aibo... by QuantumFTL · · Score: 4, Funny

    At last, now there is something an Aibo can properly hump. Here boy!