Flame is the world's most advanced -- and Dutch -- walking robot

Walking robots never cease to amaze, but "Flame" from TU Delft PhD student Daan Hobbelen is what we like to call a mega breakthrough. By mimicking the way that humans actually fall forward when walking, this robot comes insanely close to the real thing. Usually, walking robots are energy-hungry propositions, but this is the first that's both efficient and stable. Inside Flame are seven motors and a balance "organ" loaded with stability algorithms. By measuring each step, the robot adjusts stance width, speed, and gait on the go. In the end, kids, we're looking at the world's most advanced and efficient walking robot. If you want to see this thing in action, head on over the read link where you can download a .wmv.

[Sachin @ May 22nd 2008 7:38PM]

sweet.

[Stem $ell @ May 22nd 2008 10:44PM]

Yeah.... Walk-timus Prime...

[alex @ May 22nd 2008 7:41PM]

This is where a video would come in handy ....

[Rafer @ May 22nd 2008 7:42PM]

The video is there and quite interesting... U need an audio Codec to view it but its cool.

Read the article.

[xor24 @ May 29th 2008 8:34PM]

How do you get the audio codec needed to view the file?

[Almighty- @ May 23rd 2008 3:45AM]

Ye, there is a download link on the read link but the download speed is kinda very slow!

Here's the Link to it
ithttp://www.physorg.com/newman/gfx/files/Flame_hallway.wmv

And it wants an audio codec, which K-Lite codec Pack hasn't, strange!

[ryan @ May 22nd 2008 7:46PM]

Hey its the helio cell phone guy!

[Ace b @ May 23rd 2008 1:24AM]

Dude,I was thinking the same exact thing!

I guess this is what they meant with the whole "Not a cell,Not a cell phone company" slogan.

[Scot @ May 22nd 2008 7:47PM]

Aww, I was waiting for someone to tackle it to the ground...

Still, impressive all the same as walking is extremely difficult to mimic; now for running!

[ron @ May 22nd 2008 7:51PM]

If this robot is so advanced, and SOOO self-balancing, why is its creator walking ever so precautiously beside it? ASIMO is better.

[Todd @ May 22nd 2008 8:06PM]

Exactly my thought after watching the vid. That guy seems to be very nervous that the robot is going to fall. Kinda like watching a drunk's friend help him out of the bar at the end of the night...

[Xee @ May 22nd 2008 8:37PM]

I think he's walk beside it because it's just a prototype and is not ready just yet to be banged around. Hence, you have a lot of money invested in it and want to protect your investment.

[lawyer bird @ May 22nd 2008 7:51PM]

does it do reverse? or stairs? pHD my ass...

[Mac @ Oct 19th 2008 8:40AM]

Do you even know what PHD or research is about?

The problem here is that most of the people have get used to see the result of 10 PHDs in the form of a $300 gadget and they do not even appreciate or respect the research work done for that thing.

[Artie Lange @ May 22nd 2008 7:55PM]

It looks like the robot from Saturn 3.

[Brent @ May 22nd 2008 8:01PM]

I've been walking for YEARS now. Show me something I CAN'T do!

[Low Ranked @ May 22nd 2008 8:23PM]

Play Crysis.

Ready?


Go!

[Brent @ May 22nd 2008 9:38PM]

I can play Crysis. It's not that hard. I don't think this thing even has hands, so I'm guessing it would suck at most games.

By the way, I think this is just the first step towards making a clogging robot. Now THAT would impress me.

[andres @ May 22nd 2008 10:31PM]

he didnt mean play it as in control it. he meant that you cant run crysis

[Brent @ May 23rd 2008 1:33AM]

Sarcasm does not travel well through the internet tubes. In all seriousness, that is an impressive walking robot.

[Gorillamonk @ May 23rd 2008 2:38PM]

Sarcasm runs very well on engadget. I don't know where YOU'VE been, but it drips from the pages.

[Fr0 @ May 22nd 2008 8:04PM]

So... when do we get Gundams?

[Ace b @ May 23rd 2008 2:35AM]

Hold up man,We gotta get us some Medabots first,then we'll have gundams.

More Medabots,More Power.

[Raytaka1222 @ May 23rd 2008 9:10AM]

Soon as we buid colonies that we plan to launch into Earth's orbit and start a war between the Earth Federation and O.Z not to mention Zeon and Char. Once that happens, then will be ready for the Wing Zero's of the future...

[roman.kim @ May 22nd 2008 8:10PM]

NS-5s, Attack!

[ripper @ May 22nd 2008 8:17PM]

Umm, 'mega breakthrough'? So sorry, not seeing it. i've even see much better bipedality, heck , the asimo 3km/h demo is way more impressive than this.

[Crazylink @ May 22nd 2008 8:17PM]

It's much shorter than the picture makes it look.

[doublethink @ May 22nd 2008 8:21PM]

I agree with the ron a few posts back. Honda has a little person running around their R&D department:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3C5sc8b3xM

Sure its not exactly how a human runs, but thats pretty damn close. Enough to creep most people out.

Not knocking this guy above on his great work, hes obviously destined to do great things for robotics, but to say best in the world is a steep claim.

[randombloke @ May 23rd 2008 6:53PM]

Asimo got there after a the best part of twenty years of heavily funded "blue sky" research by an intrnational corporation's team of experts.
And it still doesn't do human walking right. Not that I think that that is what Honda want Asimo to do - they want a robo-butler they can sell, not a demo unit - but this guy is working with much more limited resources and he's already got this far.

[Wwhat @ May 23rd 2008 8:36AM]

Looks like a japanese woman in a kimono with incontinence running to the toilet.

[BobfromVegas @ May 22nd 2008 8:22PM]

Thats great, but can it play doom?

[jeff.zim @ May 23rd 2008 12:36PM]

Nope. No arms or hands.

[akstylish @ May 23rd 2008 2:07AM]

I'm surprised this didn't get low ranked.

[Frank @ May 22nd 2008 8:54PM]

I'd like to see it in a death match against Big Dog

[frank @ May 22nd 2008 8:59PM]

Actually, I take that back. I just saw the video of it walking. Flame would go down like Pleo against ComBot.

[Elora HRanma @ May 22nd 2008 9:12PM]

OK, people. Why is this a great advance? Because Asimo, when sending its legs forwards for a new start position uses engines ALL the way, making that an energy inefficient approach. What this robot has changed is something that has been tried for quite long: using inercia to take the legs from behind position to as close to a start position as possible, kicking engines only for the last part of the movement.

Of note is also the matter that Asimo relies in 20cm wide feet to keep its balance, while this robot does so with human sized feet and relying in actual balance, instead of hoping its mass center won't go to far during the program.

Regarding the guy walking besides it, if you look at the robot, you will realize it lacks arms, which are required to keep balance if things go very wrong. If you make a false step and stagger, you move your arms fast to recenter your masses. The guy besides the robot is its arms.

[FTY @ May 23rd 2008 6:43AM]

I really don't know where you see Asimo having feet not proportional to the rest of his body. They look pretty point on to me.

[Wwhat @ May 23rd 2008 8:42AM]

It's spelled 'inertia' with a t, not that I'm upset about it but since you make such a nice complete and thoughtful post it's a pity if you aren't pointed out a small mistake like that for correction in future posts I'm thinking.

[justinpassing @ May 22nd 2008 9:42PM]

All this work put into building a silly robot that can walk makes you wonder how people think humans walking happened randomly.

[Reader @ May 22nd 2008 9:50PM]

No, not really. That argument is so weak I'm not even going to try to refute it.

[andres @ May 22nd 2008 10:37PM]

1000's of years != 10's of years

[DESTOS @ May 22nd 2008 9:42PM]

How about some hips? Replace that sketchy waddle with a sexy strut.

[Mike W @ May 22nd 2008 9:53PM]

I, for one, welcome our walking robot overlords.

[Andrew E. @ May 22nd 2008 10:32PM]

fracking toaster.

[For2itous @ May 22nd 2008 10:46PM]

Does that make ASIMO er, Wok-timus Prime?

[DWells55 @ May 22nd 2008 11:56PM]

Great, now when the robots take over we'll have a literal flamewar.

[Ace b @ May 23rd 2008 2:37AM]

HARHARHAR!!!

[grjohnston @ May 23rd 2008 12:22AM]

Wait. World's most advanced walking robot and world's most Dutch walking robot? World's most advanced walking robot and world's Dutch walking robot? Or just world's most advanced, Dutch walking robot? (Or would that be most advanced, Dutch, walking robot?)

[biomi @ May 23rd 2008 12:44AM]

Could someone post the direct link to the video. That site keeps crashing my browser.

[Biff Superman @ May 23rd 2008 1:06AM]

does search for buried earthquake victims or not. if not, there is no point to it