Morgan Bell"RunBot" hits record speed
May 4th 2006 14:58
RunBot, the world’s new fastest two legged robot, has recently been developed by researcher Tao Geng at the University of Stirling, Scotland along with colleagues from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and the University of Gottingen, Germany.
But walking is obviously not the most efficient way of getting around, and it is not simply RunBot’s record breaking 3.5 leg-lengths per second that has robot enthusiasts celebrating. As an article on Discovery News puts it, “walking isn't so much the issue as the robot's ability to learn and adapt.”
Getting a robot to walk isn’t quite as easy as it seems. Besides the mechanics of force distribution in the legs, there is also the rather large issue of balance to consider. Two legged robots are often android. They are modelled after their makers, who are of course humans, with relatively high centres of gravity.
Think about it. Stepping from one foot to the next requires the careful coordination of leg muscles, hip muscles, and even upper body muscles to maintain balance. Coordination is achieved via an internal feedback system. If you feel that you are tilting too far left, your body instinctively corrects for it by leaning to your right.
It is complex. It takes babies months to get it right, and we’re biologically designed for it.
RunBot operates using sensors on its feet and hips in conjunction with a computer program that mimics the way human neurons control reflexes. Its reflexes lead to the optimization of knee and hip movements.
"Humans have simple neural systems that learn a few basic modes of movement that function as reflexes," Florentin Worgotter of the University of Gottingen told the New Scientist. "RunBot works the same, putting it on the ground triggers the reflex."
But, like a human, RunBot needs time to learn to walk. The algorithm controlling its reflexes needs a great deal of tweaking before it is able to keep its balance. The robot speeds up by trial and error – all without falling over.
Sounds mighty clever to me!
(Image by Tao Geng on the Discovery website)
RunBot in action
Getting a robot to walk isn’t quite as easy as it seems. Besides the mechanics of force distribution in the legs, there is also the rather large issue of balance to consider. Two legged robots are often android. They are modelled after their makers, who are of course humans, with relatively high centres of gravity.
Think about it. Stepping from one foot to the next requires the careful coordination of leg muscles, hip muscles, and even upper body muscles to maintain balance. Coordination is achieved via an internal feedback system. If you feel that you are tilting too far left, your body instinctively corrects for it by leaning to your right.
It is complex. It takes babies months to get it right, and we’re biologically designed for it.
RunBot operates using sensors on its feet and hips in conjunction with a computer program that mimics the way human neurons control reflexes. Its reflexes lead to the optimization of knee and hip movements.
"Humans have simple neural systems that learn a few basic modes of movement that function as reflexes," Florentin Worgotter of the University of Gottingen told the New Scientist. "RunBot works the same, putting it on the ground triggers the reflex."
But, like a human, RunBot needs time to learn to walk. The algorithm controlling its reflexes needs a great deal of tweaking before it is able to keep its balance. The robot speeds up by trial and error – all without falling over.
Sounds mighty clever to me!
(Image by Tao Geng on the Discovery website)
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