Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




ROBO SPACE
A robot that runs like a cat
by Staff Writers
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 21, 2013


This is cheetah-cub, a compliant quadruped robot. Credit: (c) EPFL.

Even though it doesn't have a head, you can still tell what kind of animal it is: the robot is definitely modeled upon a cat. Developed by EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory (Biorob), the "cheetah-cub robot," a small-size quadruped prototype robot, is described in an article appearing in the International Journal of Robotics Research.

The purpose of the platform is to encourage research in biomechanics; its particularity is the design of its legs, which make it very fast and stable. Robots developed from this concept could eventually be used in search and rescue missions or for exploration.

This robot is the fastest in its category, namely in normalized speed for small quadruped robots under 30Kg. During tests, it demonstrated its ability to run nearly seven times its body length in one second. Although not as agile as a real cat, it still has excellent auto-stabilization characteristics when running at full speed or over a course that included disturbances such as small steps.

In addition, the robot is extremely light, compact, and robust and can be easily assembled from materials that are inexpensive and readily available.

Faithful reproduction
The machine's strengths all reside in the design of its legs. The researchers developed a new model with this robot, one that is based on the meticulous observation and faithful reproduction of the feline leg.

The number of segments - three on each leg - and their proportions are the same as they are on a cat. Springs are used to reproduce tendons, and actuators - small motors that convert energy into movement - are used to replace the muscles.

"This morphology gives the robot the mechanical properties from which cats benefit, that's to say a marked running ability and elasticity in the right spots, to ensure stability," explains Alexander Sprowitz, a Biorob scientist. "The robot is thus naturally more autonomous."

Sized for a search
According to Biorob director Auke Ijspeert, this invention is the logical follow-up of research the lab has done into locomotion that included a salamander robot and a lamprey robot.

"It's still in the experimental stages, but the long-term goal of the cheetah-cub robot is to be able to develop fast, agile, ground-hugging machines for use in exploration, for example for search and rescue in natural disaster situations. Studying and using the principles of the animal kingdom to develop new solutions for use in robots is the essence of our research."

.


Related Links
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








ROBO SPACE
Robot that runs like a cat springs to life in Switzerland
Geneva (AFP) June 17, 2013
Swiss researchers said Monday they have created a small four-legged, high-speed robot that runs like a cat in a bid to create a new breed of robots for use in search and rescue operations. Researchers added that the "cheetah-cub robot," the size of a small house cat or cheetah cub, moves as fast as an adult human walking briskly. It is "the fastest in its category (of) small quadruped ro ... read more


ROBO SPACE
Scientists use gravity, topographic data to find unmapped moon craters

Australian team maps Moon's hidden craters

LADEE Arrives at Wallops for Moon Mission

NASA's GRAIL Mission Solves Mystery of Moon's Surface Gravity

ROBO SPACE
Billion-Pixel View of Mars Comes From Curiosity Rover

Study: Mars may have had ancient oxygen-rich atmosphere

Opportunity Recovers From Another Flash-Related Reset

ExoMars 2016 Set To Complete Construction

ROBO SPACE
NASA Bill Would 'End Reliance on Russia,' Nix Asteroid Capture Project

Britain shut down UFO desk after finding no threat: files

New Zealand emerges as guinea pig for global tech firms

NASA announces eight new astronauts, half are women

ROBO SPACE
Chinese astronauts manually dock spacecraft

China astronaut teaches lesson from space

China's space program less costly

China seeks to boost share of satellite market

ROBO SPACE
Accelerating ISS Science With Upgraded Payload Operations Integration Center

Strange Flames on the ISS

Europe's space truck docks with ISS

Russian cargo supply craft separates from International Space Station

ROBO SPACE
Four O3b Network birds integrated to Arianespace Soyuz launcher

Arianespace will retain its market leadership by building on the company's flexibility and agility

Plan for modified European rocket gets backing

Peru launches first homemade rocket

ROBO SPACE
NASA's Hubble Uncovers Evidence of Farthest Planet Forming From its Star

Exoplanet formation surprise

Sunny Super-Earth?

Kepler Stars and Planets are Bigger than Previously Thought

ROBO SPACE
Noble gases hitch a ride on hydrous minerals

'Chemical architects' build materials with potential applications in drug delivery and gas storage

Researchers Propose New Method for Achieving Nonlinear Optical Effects

Unexpected behavior of well-known catalysts




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement