In the past we've seen developments like the BigDog robot and the biped ATLAS, with a surprising ability to move and avoid obstacles. Fortunately, high-level robotics initiatives keep multiplying, and that's how we come across ATRIAS, the biped robot from Oregon State University, which they've taken for a walk around campus.
It doesn't matter if it's dirt, mud, water, grass, asphalt, stones, sand, stairs, or a combination of all of them; any modern robot that seeks to be considered all-terrain needs to overcome each type of surface in its path. Laboratory tests do their best to simulate extreme conditions, but sooner or later, projects need to leave the safety of their sterile environments and face the world. We all remember well what the MIT robotic cheetah generated when it crossed the institute's campus jumping and running at a speed of nearly twenty kilometers per hour. Today it's ATRIAS's turn, created by Oregon State University, and although it's not as independent as the cheetah, it surprises for the fact of being biped.
ATRIAS uses six electric motors to move and maintain balance, powered by a li-po battery with an approximate volume of 'two liters of milk'. Compared to other similar robots, ATRIAS's battery is much smaller, and a good part of the efficiency in consumption (three times more than other biped robots) comes thanks to the elastic design of its legs. As expected, nature is the main source of inspiration for ATRIAS, and if we observe it carefully, it almost moves as if it were a horse. The development of ATRIAS was carried out with collaborators from the universities of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon, in addition to the Royal Veterinary College, which is part of the University of London. The initial funds totaled 4.7 million dollars, logically delivered by our friends at DARPA.
One of ATRIAS's main objectives is to derive its technology toward other projects closer to people, such as the creation of advanced prostheses and exoskeletons to assist in cases of general muscle weakness. At the same time, ATRIAS's ability to walk on different types of terrain makes it an ideal candidate for military applications and rescue in extreme areas.
See the official announcement.
