Four Legged – Quadrupedal Robots
A system on four legs is another walking scheme found readily in nature. Four legged robots have the advantage of being statically stable when not moving, but require dynamic walking control. There are many different ways for a four legged robot to walk including alternating pairs and opposite pairs as in six legged robots. However these techniques now cease to be statically stable and thus require dynamic control.
Boston Dynamics has developed a four legged robot for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) called “Big Dog,” that they claim is “the most advanced quadruped robot on earth.” Big Dog can run at four miles per hour, climb thirty five degree slopes, and carry 340 pounds. But the most impressive feature is its dynamic walking: Big Dog can recover from slipping and even being pushed. Its behavior is such that it approaches the infamous “uncanny valley” .
Links
Dynamic Legged Systems lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT): www.iit.it/hyq
HyQ robot by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
See All Types Of Robots - By Locomotion