WL-16 Biped Wheel Chair Chair

Posted 22 Nov 2003 at 17:29 UTC by The Swirling Brain

NewScientist says that Japanese researchers have created the first two legged walking robot that can carry a person It's probably not correct to call it a wheel chair. The bipedal (two legged) chair called the WL-16 can walk smoothly even if the person in the chair shifts. The WL-16 has 12 actuators for going forward, backward, or side to side. The researchers hope to make the robot someday go up and down stairs (safely). This could be the new thing in (for lack of a better term) wheel chairs. However, if it were to step on your foot with it's big flat feet, you might tend to disagree.

New and improved, but nonexistent walking chair, posted 22 Nov 2003 at 18:56 UTC by Frank McNeill » (Apprentice)

I intend to wait for a new and improved model with at least four legs. Six or more would be better because creatues with more than two legs can travel faster than creatures of equal size with just two. Check out the stride length for a dog if you don't believe this. A walking dog doesn't appear to move one of its legs through a large arc, but the stride length is much longer because during the time that leg was raised, the dog's body has been carried forward by its other legs.

Bug-like chairs would also be lower slung and easier to get on and off, and might be programmed to do useful chores around the house. Carpentry for example, based on the design of a carpenter ant, of course.