Your Roomba can’t jump, can it? UPenn researchers presented the acrobatic feats of their X-RHex-Light robot today at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Germany.
Their research paper “Toward a Vocabulary of Legged Leaping” details how they taught the robot the tricks to not only run, but also jump and execute the equivalent of robotic back flips and triple jumps. The nearly 15-pound, 20-inch long robot can jump up ledges, and can even do leap grabs that let it ascend an impressive 28 inches. Now that the robot knows the leaping lingo, it could use it to take instruments or sensors to the right locations, or right itself when it flips over.
Image via UPenn Kod*lab
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