Balancing Robot Can Take a Kicking 207
BotKicker writes "A Japanese team has created the first full-size humanoid robot that won't fall over if you push it. A video shows it staggering and regaining balance after blows from a researcher. Being able to withstand shoves and kicks is essential if robots are to truly be our buddies, they reckon. 'The robot's balancing ability depends on its joints. For one thing they are never kept rigid, even when standing still, meaning they yield slightly when the robot is pushed. Force sensors within each joint also work out the position and velocity of the robot's centre mass as it moves around. Control software rapidly figures out what forces the robot's feet need to exert on the ground to bring it back into balance, and tells the joints how to act.'"
Rock'em Sock'Em... (Score:1, Funny)
Chuck Norris (Score:5, Funny)
I for one... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Been done (Score:4, Funny)
I, for one, (Score:4, Funny)
With friends like these...... (Score:5, Funny)
If these guys tend to kick and shove their buddies, it may explain why they have so much time to work on robots....."Finally, a friend I can kick who won't think I'm a jerk"
Nothing like the Server's Kicking. (Score:5, Funny)
With friends like these... (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like someone's been playing too many violent video games.
Quoth the robot (Score:5, Funny)
Contempt for Robots (Score:5, Funny)
In an cruel twist, it is this same ability that will make our punches and kicks ineffectual for defending our fleshy bodies from the robots when they turn against us.
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Not bad... (Score:2, Funny)
NO YOU FOOLS! (Score:3, Funny)
Ability to not fall down the stairs. [youtube.com]
Just wait till they fight back... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Next step: decide when staggering is a good ide (Score:5, Funny)
First, why wouldn't I reach for the hand of a child (if that was the closet/best option)? If the issue is I'm falling back beause my center of mass is behind me, I only need to shift the mass, not overcome the momentum of my movement. Yes, I will pull the child towards me, but it may be enough of a shift in mass to pull myself towards the child as well.
Second, this is likely on of those less-is-more situations. If I'm on the side of a busy street, and not on the edge of a tall cliff, I'm probably better off just taking a small step back to steady myself. In fighting to keep my feet in front of me, I leave my body without support, and end up falling into traffic.
Third, if I make a habit of putting myself into situations where the slighest loss of balance may result in a life-or-death situation, maybe the gene pool will be better off if I do fall into traffic.
Re:Been done (Score:4, Funny)
Re:With friends like these... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Been done (Score:2, Funny)
Or Cobra Kai (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Been done (Score:4, Funny)
it's called progress. duh.
Re:Cool (Score:3, Funny)
Unless the robot is a hot chick femmbot, in which case it should most definitely bend over to pick up heavy objects. It should also fail to get a proper grip the first time, necessitating a quick ass-wriggling repositioning while still bent over.