Robot learns to run like a human, wears black shorts

Robots are always getting upgrades for mobility purposes. Along those lines in particular are models that incorporate human like appendages such as arms or legs. Scientists are finally starting to recognize natures design in its simplicity, resulting in more fluidic locomotion. Keeping with that kind of mentality researcher Ryuma Niiyama is building a robot that will be able to run like a human sprinter. The robot called Athlete, mimics the human musculoskeletal system by using several sets of artificial muscles for each leg that are powered by six pneumatic actuators respectively. The ‘feet’ are comprised of the same type of limb used for double amputees that help them run and also provides a form of shock absorption. The shorts are used to help ‘mimic’ a human jogger and provides a sense of style, but also hides the robots ‘shame’. While this robot can only take about 5 steps before it falls over, it’s still a giant leap for all robot kind in the evolution of their movement. For more information on Athlete please visit Ryuma Niiyama’s web page at: http://www.isi.imi.i.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~niiyama/index.html

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