No 2. Big Dog
This the World’s first dynamically stable quadruped robot. It was created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University. This mechanical mule is 3 feet long, 2.5 feet tall and weighs 240 pounds. Big Dog is powered by a two-stroke, one-cylinder engine operating at 9,000 RPM. The engine drives a hydraulic pump, which in turn drives the hydraulic leg actuators. Each leg has four actuators (two for the hip joint, and one each for the knee and ankle joints), for a total of 16. Each actuator unit consists of a hydraulic cylinder, servovalve, position sensor, and force sensor. It is capable of traversing difficult terrain at 4 miles per hour, carrying 340 pounds, and climbing a 35 degree incline. Its balance and navigation are controlled by an on board computer system. The most revolutionary technology in this robot is the dynamic stability, it balances itself as soon as it get disoriented. This robot has great commercial potential in both military and civilian domains.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHJJQ0zNNOM[/youtube]
No 1. Honda Asimo (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility)
This astronaut look alike robot is the creation of Honda. The feature that sets Asimo apart is its human like mobility. ASIMO is the world’s first humanoid robot to walk dynamically, as humans walk, to walk forward and backward, to turn while walking, and even to climb and descend stairs with grace and ease. This 4 feet humanoid is the product of nearly 15 years of extensive research and testing. Asimo is a big leap in the field of Robotic navigation. These robots may one day help the disabled to traverse difficult or uneven routes. Asimo as a robot presents an aspiration of the human race to create an intelligent and mobile mechanical species which will work with us towards a better and brighter tomorrow.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFgXEkzMq7A[/youtube]
