The RunBot out runs MIT's "Spring Flamingo," can you?
By Paul Miller 
posted Apr 5th 2006 7:50PM
posted Apr 5th 2006 7:50PM
Sure, RunBot
might not be a true runner yet, since it still keeps one foot on the ground at all times. Also, it's only fastest for
its height, managing a swift 3.5 leg-lengths per second, besting the MIT's four times taller Spring Flamingo, which
runs at comparably sluggish 1.4 leg-lengths per second. All that being said, RunBot currently holds the world record
for fastest bot on two legs. The RunBot's German and Scottish creators attribute its speed to the fairly simple design,
which only senses when a leg is on the ground and when a leg swings forward. RunBot merely experiments with whichever
leg motions keep it upright and keep it going fastest, and the bot can accelerate up to three times its original speed
with its "learnings." So far the RunBot can only walk in circles, since it's attached to a boom in the center
of a room, but the developers say they're at work on a freestanding version, which shouldn't be too tough because the
boom has little influence on the RunBot's walking. Be sure to check the read link for video of the bot in all of its
herky-jerky glory.
Herbie Hancock's legbots remind me of that Rockettes leg-kick Hitler groupies do when marching.
someone's obviously way too to good with erector sets...
Well, counting the fact that the spring flamingo is over 4 years old, I think it should outrun it.
It's motion reminds me of Samara on "The Ring"
Their website is http://www.cn.stir.ac.uk/~tgeng/research.html with some interesting papers.
dauhnnanananananana...... lol steve austin... u will soon be a new man. Faster Sronger Better than u were before.
Check out the first video on that page for a great comedy moment. Right at the end, when the bot is walking well, they just stick a cardboard box in front of it.
Classic.
creamedcow, thanks for saying it: This bot walks like the Nazi army.
It doesn't balance itself, though. Who cares how fast it can walk if it's supported by that boom for left and right. Let's get some multiple degree-of-freedom joint and motion actuators in there so that kermet-the-frog's legs and walk on it's own!
Wasn't the french one (from grenoble university) the fastest and still is? http://robot-rabbit.lag.ensieg.inpg.fr/Videos/videos.php
i'm highly un-impressed. having a "robot" walk in a circular path on a boom isn't that amazing of a task. also i like how they downplay the asimo, as if its overly complicated design is a bad thing. well at least the honda doesn't need a crutch to actually walk.
I may be recalling incorrectly, but the Spring Flamingo was not the fastest robot at the MIT Leg Lab. I believe it was the fastest electrically powered one. It may have been the fastest with knees, rather than telescoping legs, but you would need to compare it with the Uniroo's speed runs for that.
Compare it to http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/leglab/robots/2D_biped/2D_biped_running_fast.mpeg (or some of the other robots at http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/leglab/robots/robots.html)
RunBot has nice motion. I look forward to seeing it actually have flight time.
As for Simon's comment about boom support, it is common practice to reduce the problem to a planar one with a boom before adding the complexities of yaw, roll, and lateral balance. When making something run, if you try to tackle all of them at once you're going to have problems.
Very good work.