This is an interesting video of a 4-legged robot with terrain response built in. Amazing how advanced these things are nowadays, especially the part where they try to kick it over but it adapts and refuses to fall. It's a bit more human like than I'd prefer :-)
In a book on Robotics I've got, there are "four legged truck" research projects going back to the '50s and '60s, manually controlled however. The one in the video is pretty impressive, especially when it goes over the small rocks and some sticky mud, no really extreme slopes or obstacles but impressive. The chassis and gear looks heavy too.
It's bizarre what sort of responses seeing something so animal-like provokes. When the guy kicked it, my first thought was 'bastard'. My second thought was "get a grip Hobbs"....
...and Tim Hobbs spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...
That's the creepiest thing I've seen in ages. You'd swear it was two skinny blokes with their heads and bodies in a packing crate. I had the same feelings as you, but not with the name Hobbs, obviously.
I must admit, it does seem remarkably good at withstanding unexpected de-stabiliation. Now if only they could get a two-legged version to be that stable.....
Alex
That's brill, but what happens when it (?) learns to kick him back. :-)
Martin
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