Robot centipede

2023: Robot Announcement

On May 29, 2023, Japanese researchers from Osaka University announced the development of a new walking robot resembling a centipede. It is assumed that the proposed solution will find application in various fields, including in the implementation of rescue operations and the performance of difficult tasks in space.

Experts say that the creators of traditional walking robots face a number of problems. The fact is that damage to even one limb often leads to the fact that the car loses the ability to move. In addition, multi-legged robots require significant computing resources to control and move in different environments. The new platform lacks these disadvantages.

Robot centipede

The presented robot uses dynamic instability for navigation. By changing the flexibility of its joints, the machine can turn in the desired direction. Moreover, this control method does not require a powerful computing node. The millipede robot consists of six segments, each of which is endowed with two legs. These nodes are connected to each other by means of flexible joints. With an adjustable screw, the flexibility of the joints can be changed directly during movement.

The researchers showed that increasing joint flexibility causes straight walking to become unstable. Instead, the robot proceeds to move along a curved path, rotating to the right or left. Since the proposed approach does not provide for controlling the movement of the body axis directly, it can significantly reduce both the computational load and energy costs. Project participants studied the robot's ability to reach specific locations and found that it could effectively navigate curved trajectories as it moved toward the target.^[1]

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