Rabbit Robot Walks into the News

Posted 18 Apr 2005 at 21:46 UTC by steve

University of Michigan researcher Jessy Grizzle has made the news again with his dynamically walking robot named Rabbit. A CNN technology story showcases the robot, which has no actual feet. The legs end in narrow tips to make sure the robot doesn't rely on big, flat feet to keep from falling. For more than five years, the Rabbit team has worked on a developing dynamic walking algorithms that will allow the robot to move, walk, and even run like humans do. "The concept of stability is reduced to two formulas", say Grizzle, who hopes the work will not only lead to walking robots but to bionic legs that can automatically match the gait of their wearer. For more information including research papers and video of the robot in action, visit Jessy Grizzle's bipedal locomotion website.