Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
A bipedal, human-inspired robot developed by researchers at Oregon State University underwent a series of successful outdoor field tests last month, showing an ability to maintain its balance on grass and hills, and even remaining upright when hit by a rubber ball.
Known as the “ATRIAS” robot, the two-legged mechanical man performed all of these tasks at a constant, normal walking speed of slightly more than three miles per hour, the OSU team said. It was designed to mimic the spring-legged action of animals, and based on the results of the recent test, its creators said that this is the closest a robot has come to mimicking human locomotion.
As Jonathan Hurst, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State, explained, “animals with legs sort of flow in the energy used, in which retained kinetic energy is just nudged by very efficient muscles and tendons to continue the movement once it has begun.”
“That’s part of what’s unique about ATRIAS – not just that it can walk, and will eventually run – but that it’s doing so with animal-inspired fluidity of motion that is so efficient,” he added. “This will ultimately allow a much wider range of robotic uses and potential than something which requires larger amounts of energy.”
Energy-efficient technology could help medicine, military
ATRIAS is about the same size as a human and runs on six electric motors powered by a lithium polymer battery about the same size as a half-gallon container of milk, Hurst’s team said. The battery is considerably smaller those used by other mobile robots, thanks to the energy efficiency of its leg design and the natural energy retention found in animal locomotion.
During their tests, funded by a four-year, $4.7 million, grant from DARPA, the robot was tethered to a safety harness and frame which would catch it if it fell, but would not supply power or assist in its movement. It was simply there to prevent damage during the research and development, the team explained.
Christian Hubicki, an OSU postdoctoral scholar working with Hurst on the project, said that it “already appears” as though ATRIAS is “three times more energy-efficient” than other types of bipedal, human-sized robots. The recent test was “the first time we’ve been able to show its abilities outside, in a far more challenging environment than anything in a laboratory,” he added.
In the near future, the researchers hope that the technology could be used to construct prosthetic limbs or ex-skeletons to help patients with muscular weakness. However, if the robots can prove capable of effectively traveling over uneven terrain, Hurst and his colleagues believe they could also be used by the military or in disaster-response situations.
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