Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a cheetah robot, which is the first four-legged robot that can run and also jump over hurdles autonomously.
Sangbae Kim, who is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, suggests that it is very dynamic for a robot to jump while running.
The four-legged robot was tested by engineers indoors on a treadmill and the robot cleared obstacle that were up to 18 inch in height at an average running speed of 5 miles per hour. While on the treadmill, the robot was tethered but the scientists also tested the robot on an indoor track without any support. The cheetah robot was able to jump over hurdles on the indoor tracks as well untethered.
The developers explain that the algorithm's first component in the robot enables it to detect a hurdle, estimate its size and distance. A simplified formula was developed by the researchers, which represented the ground as a straight line and any obstacle as a deviation from the line. With the help of the formula the cheetah robot can evaluate the distance and height of the obstacle without any human intervention.
The algorithm's second is triggered once the robot detects a hurdle that allows it to alter its approach when coming near to the obstacle. The algorithm calculates the ideal position of jump so that it can successfully clear the hurdle. This algorithm also enables the robot to get back to its original running speed after landing.
"This 'approach adjustment algorithm' runs on the fly, optimizing the robot's stride with every step. The optimization process takes about 100 milliseconds to complete—about half the time of a single stride," according to the press release on the cheetah robot.
The algorithm's third component is activated when the four-legged robot reaches its jumping point. At this point the algorithm determines the jumping trajectory. The researchers also developed a formula for calculating the needed force that the robot's electric motors will need to exert for safely launching it over the hurdle.
The robot had 90 percent success rate in jumping over a hurdle on indoor tracks in comparison to treadmill. The researchers explain that on an indoor track the robot had more time and space to jump over a hurdle.
The testing of the robot has been made on hard surface. The researchers are working to test the robot on softer terrain such as grassy fields.
Check out the cheetah robot in action.
