Robot of the Week
The Japanese robot, named "Athlete," does not quite have the balance of a human yet
By Clay Dillow Posted 12.13.2010 at 5:45 pm 11 Comments

Japanese researcher Ryuma Niiyama’s robot is quite literally making strides in the field of robotics. His running robot, named Athlete, can only make three to five steps before falling down, but the bipedal robot’s gait is remarkably un-robotic, stemming from a musculoskeletal design that mimics human biology. With some further refinement, Niiyama may just create a robot sprinter that moves with agility and explosive speed of a human runner.

Athlete in the Lab:  Ryuma Niiyama via IEEE Spectrum
Athlete’s legs each contain seven sets of artificial muscles with up to six pneumatic actuators each, each one designed as an analog to a muscle in the human leg. The lower legs are less complex though still scientifically sophisticated; each leg is fitted with the prosthetic sprinting “blades” worn by amputee runners. Completing his human mimicry, Athlete dons a pair of black running shorts.

An inertial measurement unit mounted on the torso helps Athlete keep its “body” oriented properly, while touch sensors on each foot give the ‘bot a sensory feeling for where its feet are in a stride. Unlike traditional humanoids that run by changing the position of their joints, Athlete runs more like a human or animal, using its “muscles” and “tendons” to bounce off the ground and propel itself forward. Niiyama and colleagues are currently refining Athlete in the lab with hopes of moving their tests to an actual running track soon. So as you'll see in the video below Athlete is no Aimee Mullins, but it’s taking steps in the right direction.


[IEEE Spectrum]

11 Comments

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StephenD.Alverez
12/13/10 at 5:57 pm

Yeah, it runs like a human, a human who hasn't ever run before.

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Far Out Man
12/13/10 at 6:18 pm

Amazing work. It does indeed run like a human that has never run before. That is the astounding part. If someone watched this from afar, so that they could not tell what it was exactly, they would describe it as animal or human ... not robot!

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neuenkir
12/13/10 at 7:07 pm

That first comment is sort of insightful, whether or not it was meant to be. It is like a person running who has never run before, because the machine has never run before. It must learn (if it does indeed use adaptive learning tech) how to balance, move its legs, and the HUGE amount of calculations required to take a step. People don't seem to realize it sometimes, but the act of taking one stride requires a huge amount of calculation and corrections from your brain.

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darcon77
12/13/10 at 8:16 pm

Hands play huge role in running (in humans). They kinda server as counterbalances. Try running with your hands strapped to your sides and you'll fall just like this robot. So here's the correction to the first comment: Yeah, it runs like a human, a human with no hands.

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Dirk Mcbratney
12/13/10 at 11:18 pm

I was thinking that as well - it's got to be horribly unbalanced, to say nothing of being clearly quite topheavy. I'd love to see what the next model looks like.

But *damn*, it's kind of scary. It only gets halfway across the room, sure, but it gets there *fast*. And yeah, it's amazing how human the movement really is. The use of the prosthetic runner legs was a really clever move, too.

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explodingsuns
12/13/10 at 11:25 pm

Looking at those 'feet' reminds me of the car commercial: Wider is better.

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StephenD.Alverez
12/14/10 at 8:32 am

I still think PetMan is a better runner. He can run like a person, he can stand upright without falling over, he can get pushed and still stand up.

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Oakspar77777
12/14/10 at 9:43 am

It takes a ton of calculation to run upright, which is why so little in the animal kingdom does so. Maybe they should have started with a quadraped (or even triped - like the running of an ape).

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erikkraemer
12/14/10 at 4:03 pm

Quadraped has been done (BigDog by Boston Dynamics).
Hmmm... looks like Rise of the Cylons to me

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funkyskunk2
12/14/10 at 4:26 pm

more scamper than run, and the title sounds like your comparing it to someone with prostetics

"Quadraped has been done (BigDog by Boston Dynamics).
Hmmm... looks like Rise of the Cylons to me"

boston did petman which is more impressive than this, sadly it was to test freaking pants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWAycsddRY

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Americano
12/14/10 at 5:49 pm

Petman seems better at balancing and correcting it's position, but Ryuma Niiyama's robot is fantastic in the innovations it adds to the evolution of a running bot. Apart from hands, we use the rest of our upper half to balance and give "grip" to an accelerated forward motion by leaning forward and swinging the arms in a contrary "twist" to the hips, so I guess the only way to really achieve a running robot is to master the top half as much as the bottom!



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