Japanese scientists have created a four-legged robot capable of carrying a person.
The robot is made in the form of a mountain goat and it has a steering wheel, as well as wheels, allowing you to move efficiently on a flat surface.
Four-legged robots are not only similar in design to animals, but often have references to them.
One of the first examples was made by Boston Dynamics, which developed the BigDog robot in 2005.
Some engineers go beyond the name and add the appearance of animals to four-legged robots.
But until recently, developers suggested using such robots only for reconnaissance and carrying cargo, while some four-legged animals are used to transport people.
Kawasaki showed off a robotic goat prototype that not only looks like an animal, but is also adapted for riding.
In addition to the body, unlike almost all other four-legged robots, it has a head with horns and a neck.
It also differs from most analogues in that its legs bend in different directions, and there are wheels at the knees.
This allows you to fold your legs and ride on wheels to save energy when you don't need a lot of flotation.
When folding and moving to a ride, a pair of wheels extends from under the robot's stomach, which, apparently, moves it forward, in contrast to the passive wheels in the knees.
The ride mode allows a human to sit on the robot's back without any problems.
The developers demonstrated how an employee of the company sat on the robot, putting her feet on the steps and taking the steering wheel in her hands.
After that, the robot got up from its knees and went under the control of a person.
The company claims that the robot is capable of supporting 100 kilograms.
The company notes that it mainly plans to use the robot not for riding, but for carrying goods on construction sites, on plantations and in other conditions.
Source:
- IEEE Spectrum: https://spectrum.ieee.org/kawasaki-robotics-bex
- YouTube: