Robot walks like a human, no power required

[lmathews]

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/101525-bluebiped-a-human-like-walking-robot-that-requires-no-power-source

[Qworg]

Passive walking has been around for years and years - this is simply another very well designed version of it. =)

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~artkuo/Passive_Walk/passive_w...

[_csoz]

More like "pendulum clock that looks like legs". Walking means propelling itself, climbing up and down and be steered.

[jawns]

It's a Slinky with legs.

[hammock → jawns]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KgEyKgJpnY

[lotu]

But it only walks downhill.

[compumike → lotu]

See "Toddler learning to walk" at http://groups.csail.mit.edu/locomotion/videos.html (2004). At first, the robot walks passively down an inclined treadmill. But it quickly learns how to efficiently add just a little bit of power from its motors at the right time each stride, such that it soon walks on level ground and adapts to different surraces.

[zohebv → compumike]

So it does use a power source. The title should read - "Robot walks downhill without additional power source".

[cma → zohebv]

You thought someone invented a perpetual motion machine?

[khafra → lotu]

Thanks for taking the thermodynamics-defiance out of the robot and replacing it with kinetic energy over time.

[sliverstorm → lotu]

We could go downhill with (almost) no power too, if only we could coast-run fast enough (and could handle the shock in your leg when your stride becomes so long you fall several feet with each step)

[nitrogen → sliverstorm]

and could handle the shock in your leg when your stride becomes so long you fall several feet with each step

This is possible when running down a steep sand incline. Very fun.

[artmageddon → lotu]

True, but doesn't this mean that biped robots wouldn't be required to expend energy when walking downhill? Depending on the application, it can greatly increase the time that a robot can be in use.

[pavel_lishin → artmageddon]

It might be pretty difficult to build a robot that can both walk passively downhill, and walk actively uphill.

Can that thing walk downhill over an uneven terrain?

[artmageddon → pavel_lishin]

BigDog was able to go both uphill and downhill, as well as even be kicked from the side while maintaining balance. Good point regarding being passive, I figured that somehow the robot would figure out the slope and provide extra power when the terrain was uneven or if it would be unable to maintain a given speed passively.

[pavel_lishin → artmageddon]

BigDog didn't walk downhill passively, did it?

[artmageddon → pavel_lishin]

No, it didn't. Sorry if that's how it came across - I was just supposing that this concept could be use to extend the life of a robot such as BigDog or others by controlling how passive it was in response to downhill slopes.

[mrsebastian → lotu]

You just need one of those Escher staircase thingees...

[hugh3 → mrsebastian]

Or an escalator.

[adrusi → mrsebastian]

or a treadmill like in the video

[mhb → lotu]

Falling with style.

[teemi]

This reminds me of Theo Jansen's Strandbeests http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKyHmjyrkA

[adaml_623]

It's called BlueBiped and has 3 legs. Not impressed.

[extension]

Ugh, another interesting link made unviewable by OnSwipe

[8ig8 → extension]

I use the Readability bookmarklet when I encounter this.

[nobody3141]

B.R.I.C.K. my new robot flying aircraft can fly with no power.

(as long as it's only downwards)

[sktrdie]

Guys, everything can go downhill without power. A wheel would go much faster and more efficiently than this. It's thanks to something called gravity.

[jakeonthemove]

This is pretty amazing! It'll definitely require power and motors to actually "walk", i.e. propel itself downhill, uphill or on a straight surface, but much less than what other robotic walkers do. And I don't see the need to make it two legged, either - that three-legged combination is fine by me, as long as it can clean my house, take out the garbage or carry boxes at a factory :-).