What about the handstand? Was it programmed to do so or was it an artifact of the neural net? I wonder if this relates to the fact that some dogs do in fact perform "handstand" (pawstand?) in seemingly random situations...
Extreme parkour with legged robots
21–30 of 195 posts
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
General dystopian outcomes. After world powers harness robotic armies, revolts will no longer be possible and citizens will be permanently enslaved and must succumb to whatever oppressions are put on them.
Why is walking the salient technology that will enable this? Why not wheels, or treads, or flying?
Psychologically because it's life-like (uncanny valley).
Practically, because legs are superior to wheels when it comes to pursue a human target. It may be superior to flying as well indoor, to open doors, etc. And then there is the energy expenditure and additional mass constraint when airborne.
Research on legged robots is not just for 'fun', it's because they are better at going through obstacles and rough terrain than wheeled vehicles.
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#23I am always wondering, why they build such complicated biology inspired robots, while they can build something with wheels and simple levels which allows robot to jump over obstacles and turn upside down if it landed on the back.
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#24It walks into your room, discovers you, and moves in to make the kill, but for some reason the gun trained at an odd angle. You see it take two shots that veer across to the corner of the room before it hilariously enters some self-correcting routine, seems to rediscover you, and finally blows your head off. You get a chuckle before you die
You better have your own robots protecting you.
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#25What about the handstand? Was it programmed to do so or was it an artifact of the neural net? I wonder if this relates to the fact that some dogs do in fact perform "handstand" (pawstand?) in seemingly random situations...
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Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#26As a reminder: CMU and its robotics program is intimately associated with the US Department of Defense, and although there are certainly civilian applications for this technology, one of the most likely short-term applications is improving legged drones for battlefield deployment (often, it should be said, in humanitarian roles, including search and rescue, or support roles, such as ammo, food, and water resupply, bu…
Glad to see our universities making progress in this important area of national security.
How does this improve national security?
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#27As a reminder: CMU and its robotics program is intimately associated with the US Department of Defense, and although there are certainly civilian applications for this technology, one of the most likely short-term applications is improving legged drones for battlefield deployment (often, it should be said, in humanitarian roles, including search and rescue, or support roles, such as ammo, food, and water resupply, bu…
Which is great?
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#28I am always wondering, why they build such complicated biology inspired robots, while they can build something with wheels and simple levels which allows robot to jump over obstacles and turn upside down if it landed on the back.
My limited understanding is that wheels really don’t work for all terrain scenarios. For example, craggy mountains in Afghanistan. (Much of this research is funded directly and indirectly by the US DoD)
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#29I'm sure this is impressive for an autonomous robot. However, as a fan of real parkour its kinda annoying to see some modest jumps and walking on a slope labelled "extreme parkour". What the robot demonstrates I'd expect any healthy 10 year old to be able to equal.
Re: Extreme parkour with legged robots
#30I am always wondering, why they build such complicated biology inspired robots, while they can build something with wheels and simple levels which allows robot to jump over obstacles and turn upside down if it landed on the back.
Its my assumption that biology inspired robots would adapt better to a biological world. It might also be easier to solve problems by copying those who have already figured out a solution.