Cat-like Robot Runs Like the Wind 69
DeviceGuru writes "Researchers at the Biorob lab at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), have announced a cat-like robot that is claimed to be the fastest quadruped robot under 30 kilograms. The Cheetah-cub Robot, which runs real-time Xenomai Linux on an x86-based RoBoard robot control board, mimics the biomechanics of a cat to increase the speed and stability of it quadroped legs, helping it achieve speeds of 1.42m/s. The goal of the still-early-stage project is to encourage research in biomechanics, with an aim toward building faster robots for search and rescue, or ground exploration. More info is available on EPFL's Cheetah page."
What is /. turning into ? (Score:1)
Attempts to be humorous is one thing, totally off-topic, is another
And this ain't first time a perfectly kosher thread turns into a farce
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Ok (Score:1)
In b4 some know-it-all neckbeard fatass looks up from yanking it to Mythbusters and says "why not just use wheels?"
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Re:Ok (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ok's (Score:1)
Its own, not it's [SICK] own.
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Its own, not it's [SICK] own.
Ahem, it's [sic].
"sic" is Latin for "thus". If you're going to be a grammar Nazi, at least be accurate in your own post.
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It's the clawing of the furniture that concerns me, and leaving little nuts and bolts and oil puddles in dark corners of the room.
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...for suitable values of wind, I suppose (Score:5, Informative)
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1.42 metres per second is 5.11 kph / 3.18 mph, or Force One on the Beaufort scale, which Wikipedia tells me means "Smoke drift indicates wind direction. Leaves and wind vanes are stationary."
Yeah - Usain Bolt does his 100m faster than 10 m/s. So this robot doesn't even run like a human. But robots don't get tired (though they might overheat or have their batteries go flat), so maybe a better comparison are marathons. A decent marathon runner can do over 5.5 m/s, but even a chump like me can hold at better than 3.3 m/s for that distance.
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Speed doesn't scale linearly with size. Otherwise you'd have to give the win to the tiger beetle. This thing certainly doesn't outpace other animals its own size, which would be a fair comparison. Approximately (first order physics here!) speed is a constant across sizes of animals - body configuration makes much more difference. You certainly couldn't make one of these robots 8 times as big and have it run 8 times as fast.
Plus, what size is the wind?
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So it mimics a human size cat and runs slower than a human size cat.
Back to the drawing board...
Re:...for suitable values of wind, I suppose (Score:4, Informative)
If you examine it's gait, it's just walking quickly. Almost jogging perhaps. It certainly looks nothing like quadrupeds do when they're actually running.
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Wrong comparison. Unless you are counting the robot's legs in the length, and its non-existant head, it's not the same ratio. You should compare its length/speed ratio to a human torso/speed ratio.
Not to mention it uses two pairs of appendages for motive force (?better term wanted?), while humans only use one.
Re:...for suitable values of wind, I suppose (Score:4, Informative)
It also fails to "run like a cat" as advertised. The leg movement is similar to a fast walk, a four-beat movement. But running (galloping) is something that quadrupeds do differently, a two-beat movement, like a series of jumps, where they alternate between the hind and fore legs in pairs.
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Also, some unicorns use a distinct five-beat gait, which is quite jarring. Or so I've read.
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I agree, but actually my sister had a cat, and it did in fact sometimes run by walking really, really fast. If you see a not too scared cat run away from you on the street, it's often doing the fast walk rather than the galloping. It looks pretty funny at top speed because the legs are moving so fast. Here's an example on Youtube [youtu.be].
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1.42 metres per second is 5.11 kph / 3.18 mph, or Force One on the Beaufort scale, which Wikipedia tells me means "Smoke drift indicates wind direction. Leaves and wind vanes are stationary."
Wind can move at that speed.
Uh-oh: Second Variety (Score:3)
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1.4m/s is not much of a wind (Score:1)
I dare say that even my cat
who is old and rather fat
can move more quickly than that
Re:1.4m/s is not much of a wind (Score:5, Funny)
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I hope not.
I hate bald pussy.
http://www.matthewweathers.com/year2004/images/pic17673.jpg [matthewweathers.com]
But will it leave a trail of rainbows? (Score:1)
But will it leave a trail of rainbows in its wake?
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If it's anything like my cat it will leave something, but believe me, it ain't rainbows...
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That's for the future Rectal Rainbow Drive model. They have to start with legs first. Baby steps.
Been there, seen that (Score:2)
From the same people who made Big Dog [youtube.com] I present to you the Cheetah Robot [youtube.com].
Like the wind, eh? (Score:2)
I've passed wind that was faster than that. Color me unimpressed.
Don't get me wrong, it's nifty to see a four legged robot walk (although it seems to be rather random which foot hits the floor when), but when you announce something incredible and deliver something "ok", expect people to be kinda "meh".
That would be a creepy thing to see in war... (Score:5, Insightful)
... while in its current form it is slow and in need to be tethered, I see no reason for that to stay that way as technology advances.
Imagining that one day tech improves to the point when these things are as fast and nimble as a cat, and can last at least a few days in power, you could stick explosives on them and have them track targets. Or have them stay hidden then lunge at high speed when someone gets too close.
Like a mine that will chase after you before it explodes. Considering how fast my cat can run, and how nimble it is, in future these things could be quite terrifying, especially if they are released in large batches. Probably the only weapon that may save you is a shotgun (short of some futuristic, directed, hand held, EMP cannon).
Makes me imagine of the head crabs in half life, or the replicators in stargate.
The robot Aimee in Red Planet was the final form (Score:2)
The RedPlanet was not a bad movie, and the main villain is a cat-like military robot that goes crazy and begins killing the crew one by one in a self-initiated wargame. Its form, threats, apparent application are all very competent. And it will scare the shit out of you when you realize that this is what they want to build.
Where are the smarties tubes? (Score:2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9tWYaujtD4 [youtube.com]
One Small Step for Cat! (Score:3)
Sure it runs like the wind (a very slow and mostly tired out wind).
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"Wake me up when it lands on its feet"
You have to butter it first.
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But then it will hover...
But does it run Linux? (Score:1)
Yes, this one really *runs* Linux!
</ba-dum-tish>
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Overlords (Score:2)
Accomodate? Adjust? (Score:2)
Based on the very limited view we are given of this thing, I start to seriously wonder why a real-time Linux system was used. It looks like it is just actuating legs blindly. Real-time systems are tremendously useful for responding to physics in... (wait for it)... real time. "I'm starting to fall! Let me adjust this this way to prevent it. Can't wait 30ms for a response! Need to respond now, otherwise the response will be wrong." Sure, it's actuating its legs in a manner that is fault-tolerant (It can trav
Wind-like Robot Runs Like a Cat (Score:2)
Not Cat-Like (Score:3)
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You are so right on this one. It looks more like a small dog then a cat.
You're kidding yourself (Score:3)
I find it amusing walking robot creators talking about accessing areas inaccessible via wheeled vehicles. Walking down a 1cm step? Are you kidding me! Wheeled robots blow this thing away in every aspect, until it can go up stairs, climb the side of a mountain, and walk around just as good as a human, please call your job what it is, a tiny fractional step having fun spending other peoples money.
Cat-like? (Score:3)
My cat spends most of its time sleeping (Usually in inappropriate places). So a cat-like robot would just be a sack of loose mechanical parts.
1.42 m/s = 3.18 mph = 5.11 kph (Score:2)
1.42 m/s = 3.18 mph = 5.11 kph
Meters per second is probably far more apropriate for something that is tethered on the end of a short cable but I'm sure many more of us can relate to one of either mph or kph.
ahh but can it... (Score:2)