The Way This BirdBot Robot Walks Is Amazing
A new type of robot, known as the BirdBot, was inspired by birds with automation that has a unique method of walking that mimics the efficiency of the feathered friends. Birds typically spend a massive amount of energy on flying, and walking is reserved for times when speed is less important, which is not to imply they're slow when using their legs. Some of the fastest runners on the planet are birds, such as the ostrich.
Bird legs have a knee arrangement that's opposite to that of a human, with the upper leg bending backward while the lower leg moves forward. Simultaneously the foot rotates back to propel the bird ahead before reversing that chain to prepare for the next step. This looks odd to the eye, but it's the same orientation as the hind legs of four-legged animals. Perhaps that's part of what makes it hard for a human to travel on all fours since the joints are arranged differently, with a person's arms having the structure of most animals' back leg, while human legs are like forelegs.
Related: Caltech's Leonardo Bipedal Robot Walks, Flies & Even Rides Skateboards
A new robot from the Max Planck Institute was recently demonstrated in a video revealing how it mimics some of the unique aspects of bird legs. To achieve maximum simplicity and improved efficiency, researchers studied the design of bird legs which benefit from tens of millions of years of evolutionary refinement. By using a clever joint system combining cables and pulleys that stimulate tendons, the BirdBot can walk while using fewer motors in each leg. Whereas a motor at each joint is typical in most robots, the BirdBot only needs two.
Building more efficient walking robots is critical to the expansion of their effectiveness. In many locations,
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