Japanese Researchers Build Bipedal Running Robot That Can Somersault
Posted on September 2, 2014
Researchers from the University of Tokyo, led by Professor Masatoshi Ishikawa, have developed a bipedal running robot called ACHIRES. ACHIRES stands for Actively Coordinated High-speed Image-processing Running Experiment System. The robot can currently reach a maximum speed of 4.2 km/h (2.6 mph). The headless leg bot runs on a treadmill and is attached to cables for support.
A high speed camera (600 fps) and stabilizing motor help the robot lean forward while running without falling. Data from the camera is used for near instantaneous recognition and reaction. You can see the robot leaning forward as it runs in the video below.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Professor Ishikawa says robots like ACHIRES may exceed human speeds when its sensory-motor system is improved. The researchers used similar technology in its Janken robot, which beats humans at the Rock, Paper, Scissors game by cheating. It analyzes what move the humans are going to do using a high speed camera and reacts.
The running robot can also perform a somersault as you can see around the :55 mark in the video. The Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory says the robot somersaults by taking a big swing with one foot and jumping. It then curls up its legs to complete a high-speed rotation in the air. Take a look:
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