TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

What Do Robots Have in Common with Ostriches? A Lot, if Oregon Scientist Succeeds

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 06-08-10 | Comments

Researchers from the University of Oregon are making important advancements in robotics that could lead to more agile robots, which will be able to walk and run while exerting little energy.

While robots and androids such as Star Wars� R2-D2 seem to belong only to the fictional future of television and movies, researchers from the University of Oregon are working to make these advanced machines a reality of today. Jonathan Hurst, an assistant professor of Robotics and Mechanical Design, and other engineers are developing robots that can walk and even run while exerting little energy.

Although much computational advancement has been made in robotics, the mechanical aspect of today�s robots has been lagging. Hurst notes, �A rock can't fly, no matter what software you write for it.� Existing robots tend to be more like rocks than birds: extremely inflexible and heavy�characteristics that not only slow them down but also require a lot of energy. This energy need makes locomotive robots impractical for real-world application. Most robotic machines are limited to stationary tasks, such as picking an object off of an assembly line.

Humans and animals, on the other hand, are well-equipped to travel quickly over varying terrain. Hurst and his team, part of which is based in England, look to transfer such dexterity to machines. They are undertaking studies that compare robots to agile animals, especially ostriches. �Animals, including ostriches, have a great ability to respond to unexpected disturbances while running, and can provide insights into the needed robotic equivalent,� Hurst says.

The University of Oregon researchers hope to win the �W� Prize, awarded for the first robot that, using less energy that a human would, can run 10 kilometers in 10,000 seconds or less and over a difficult terrain.

Researchers at the University of Oregon are working to develop this biped robot, which they hope will be able to walk and run more efficiently (source: University of Oregon).

Agile robots may have an incredibly beneficial impact on society. Military departments could use them for dangerous operations, and they may be the key to enhanced prosthetic limbs.

The robotics team has received a grant from the Human Frontiers Science Program, which is administered by the National Science Foundation.