A Running Robot Or A Rolling Robot?

Bleeding Edge

from the air-robot dept

It took years for researchers to figure out how to make a robot be able to stand and walk on two legs. In fact, it’s so complicated, that some researchers are giving up on that idea and using Segway balancing technology on their robots instead of legs. However, the folks at Sony seem to have taken the concept of the upright walking robot one step further: they’ve figured out how to make a robot run. That’s right, it actually leaves the ground at points while jogging along. It apparently needs a bit of a walking start to get up to speed, and even at running speed, it’s more of a slow jog – where it’s feet barely leave the ground. Still, it’s a start, and with some more work, they believe they can really make the robot run.