Wheels. Legs. This robot has both
Written by admin Saturday, 04 February 2012 17:17
Say hello to Quattroped, a leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot.
(Credit: National Taiwan University)Beware! Future robot overlords could have dual-purpose appendages.
Well, that might be an exaggeration, but this leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot is definitely a front-runner to star in my recurring robot domination nightmares. Meet Quattroped, a remote-controlled walking and wheeling robot that can function in "flat or rough environments," according to the Bio-Inspired Robotic Laboratory team of mechanical engineers at National Taiwan University.
Quattroped's platform architecture. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: National Taiwan University)While the wheeled driving mode is keen, what's truly extraordinary is the legged mode. With a simple command, the robot's wheels split in half and fold backward to form C-shaped legs. Despite the clunky movement, Quattroped can surprisingly traverse a variety of environments, ranging from stairs to rough terrain. Sadly, the robot can even dance better than I can.
So how does it work? There's a lot of technology behind the scenes. For example, simply controlling the robot itself required an ... [Read more]
Related Links:
Consumers: Robots should clean my windows
Crab dinner inspires cancer-removing robot
Reading, writing, arithmetic, and...robots?
Dogs, robot snakes team for search-and-rescue missions
See nano quadcopter robots swarm (video)
Wheels. Legs. This robot has both
Written by admin Saturday, 04 February 2012 17:17
Say hello to Quattroped, a leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot.
(Credit: National Taiwan University)Beware! Future robot overlords could have dual-purpose appendages.
Well, that might be an exaggeration, but this leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot is definitely a front-runner to star in my recurring robot domination nightmares. Meet Quattroped, a remote-controlled walking and wheeling robot that can function in "flat or rough environments," according to the Bio-Inspired Robotic Laboratory team of mechanical engineers at National Taiwan University.
Quattroped's platform architecture. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: National Taiwan University)While the wheeled driving mode is keen, what's truly extraordinary is the legged mode. With a simple command, the robot's wheels split in half and fold backward to form C-shaped legs. Despite the clunky movement, Quattroped can surprisingly traverse a variety of environments, ranging from stairs to rough terrain. Sadly, the robot can even dance better than I can.
So how does it work? There's a lot of technology behind the scenes. For example, simply controlling the robot itself required an ... [Read more]
Related Links:
Consumers: Robots should clean my windows
Crab dinner inspires cancer-removing robot
Reading, writing, arithmetic, and...robots?
Dogs, robot snakes team for search-and-rescue missions
See nano quadcopter robots swarm (video)
