36This robot is the Planar Elliptical Runner (PER). It’s the brainchild of Jerry Pratt and his
team at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). What’s unusual
about the robot is that it doesn’t require advanced AI systems to stay upright.
Similar-looking robots from the likes of Boston Dynamics or Agile Technologies
rely on gyroscopes, sensors and advanced algorithms to keep them on their feet,
but the PER makes use of a simple, stable design with a single motor that drives its
legs in an elliptical motion. The robot, whose gait resembles that of an ostrich, can
reach a speed of 19km/h (12mph). However, it has been suggested that were
the robot scaled up to human size, this could increase to 48km/h (30mph).
While PER is essentially just a proof of concept, it’s hoped that the technological
and design lessons learned will eventually help in the development of robots that
can go to dangerous or inhospitable places, such as burning buildings. Pratt said:
“Running will be eventually useful for any application that you want to do quickly
and where wheels can’t work well.”FIRST SELF-
BALANCING
Innovations
science
LARGING IT
A team at MIT has created
the world’s biggest 3D-printed
structure (above). The 15.25m x
3.66m igloo-like dome was
constructed from quick-drying
foam in just 13 hours by a large,
hydraulically mounted
3D-printing robot dubbed,
imaginatively, the Digital
Construction Platform.FACEBOOK IS HIRING
Facebook is taking on an extra
3,000 moderators to monitor
video content. The move comes
after several high-profile
incidents in which murders,
suicides and sexual assaults
were live-streamed using
the Facebook Live service.FASTEST CAMERA
Researchers at Lund University
in Sweden have developed
a camera that can shoot
an incredible five trillion images
per second. The camera, which
uses lasers rather than natural
light, is designed for capturing
chemical reactions on film.TECHBYTESROBOTSROBOT