Specialists Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) has taught the Cheetah robot new tricks. Now, for example, the robot is able to climb and descend stairs and get around obstacles without the need to see them in front of him with their cameras. And this is only a small part of what was included in the updated model. 3 due to the new algorithms.
Robots able to climb the stairs of us, of course, is not surprised. Just remember the same robot SpotMini from the company Boston Dynamics the same or Asimo, developed by Japanese company Honda has recently decided to stop. However, they all use the camera to movement on the ground. 3. the developers in turn want their robot was able to lay before the path without even seeing what is in front of him. If you rely on vision, I think of robotics, the robots can be reduced significantly in real terms.
“What if the robot will move where the camera will be useless? In this case, what should he do? That is why we gave the robot the ability to “blind movement”. We don’t want very much depend on his view,” commented Sangbae Kim, Professor of mechanical engineering at mit, who developed the robot.
In the future this robot can be used where you are not able to work. For example, deep inside a nuclear power plant where it can be used for inspection of a technical condition of object.
“Dangerous, dirty and difficult job will be much easier when using remotely controlled robots,” says Kim.
However, the robot is not always able to see its environment. For example, for robotic engineers trying to help the robots to explore the environment inside of the reactor the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima are faced with the problem emerging due to the excessively high radiation level cameras. Why are there cameras, the robots fail under such conditions.
That is why robotics from MIT decided to use Cheetah 3 new sensors and algorithms, gives him “a sense of” proprioception (sense of their own position in the surrounding space). In addition, the affected and the mechanisms responsible for the flexibility of the robot. He also received the updated prediction algorithms. 3 to change his gait to avoid falling or losing balance in a given situation.
The updated model is able to wiggle and spin on the spot.
To raise the stairs.
Although, not always successfully.
The most impressive new feature of the machine – ability of instant “reversal” due to the changed direction of the knee joints.
Another robot jumping on the spot.
And added stability.
Recall that an earlier version of the robot Cheetah set a speed record run, and can jump over obstacles up to a height of 60 centimeters.
Updated robot Cheetah doesn’t need sight in order to catch up
Nikolai Khizhnyak