BigDog is one of the next generation military assist machines in development right now. Big Dog is a research and development project by Boston Dynamics. The Big Dog project is funded by DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. Boston Dynamics claims Big Dog is the most advanced quadruped robot on earth. BigDog runs at 4 mph, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees, walks across rubble and carries a 340 lb load. BigDog can even walk over terrain such as ice and snow to reach its destination. It also has amazing balancing skills, in the video you can watch someone kick Big Dog from the side and it knows how to recover itself without falling over. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight. This is an amazing robot, when the final production model makes it to the troops it will be a huge help in areas where it is unsafe for people to travel. From the U-Tube description
“BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog’s legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight.”
It’s hard to imagine building a robot that who’s sole purpose is to fall over on itself. However those researching robotic wheels have done just that. In fact their main purpose was to demonstrate a new method of robot locomotion that doesn’t require electric motors or gasoline engines. These “robowheels” are run by flexing the outside rim into different shapes allowing the start falling in a certain direction until it’s in a constant state of motion. The spokes are made of a smart material known as a shape memory alloy, or “memory metal”. Shape memory alloy is a very flexible metal, but is very unique in that when heated, or electrified, it will return to a rigid state. In order for these robot wheels to propel, they just make certain spokes rigid and certain spokes soft. The only downfall is that they are slow to start and stop, but they can travel over extremely rough terrain. These robot wheels can even jump in the air after first squishing flat to their lowest position and then quickly deforming to their tallest thinest shape. Using this design, it is even possible to make a full rolling ball that could never fall over! But of course it will indefinitely be trying to fall over. If you are interested in playing with shape memory alloy, you can buy it online. Making your own robot wheel with the Parallax Propeller chip would be a fun project.
If you are interested in playing with shape memory alloy, you can buy it online. Making your own robot wheel with the Parallax Propeller chip would be a fun project.