Mechanical engineers at the UCLA School of Engineering have created the world’s fastest walking humanoid robot, believed to be the first designed in an academic setting capable of running, according to a recent statement from the school.
At just under 5 feet and weighing 85 pounds, the robot can run, jump and walk on rough and unstable surfaces and even remain steady when shoved or otherwise disturbed, UCLA scientists said.
The robot’s main innovation, according to UCLA, are its arms and legs, which were designed to behave like a human’s. According to researchers, the robot’s features are springy and bounce back when pushed or shoved the way a human’s would.
“That is the key behind its excellent balance while walking on uneven terrain and its ability to run — getting both feet off the ground while in motion,” said UCLA professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Dennis Hong in a recent statement. “This is a first-of-its-kind robot.”
To prepare for the summer competition, student researchers said they have been testing the robot on regular walks around the UCLA campus.
In the coming weeks, researchers said they will fully test its running and soccer-playing skills, and evaluate how well it can traverse uneven terrain and stairs, its capacity for falling and getting back up, and ability to carry objects.
The team behind the robot updates fans via Twitter on its progress and even posts the routes for its campus walks, giving Bruins the chance to catch the humanoid in action and chat with researchers.
“We’re very excited to take Artemis out for field testing here at UCLA and we see this as an opportunity to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics to a much wider audience,” Hong said in a statement last week.
