Image 1 - A free-standing bipedal robot at the University of Michigan can now walk down steep slopes, through a thin layer of snow, and over uneven and unstable ground.

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MARLO, the free-standing two-legged robot

Creator: UNIVERSITY OF MICHEGAN

Country: United States of America

Summary

A free-standing bipedal robot at the University of Michigan can now walk down steep slopes, through a thin layer of snow, and over uneven and unstable ground.

Status: Prototype, Research

Operation: Autonomous

Robot Type / Domain: Research

Tasks: Walking on uneven, unstable, and challenging terrain

Learn More

Image/s and below text is an extract from the online article: University of Michigan. (May 6, 2016). MARLO, the free-standing two-legged robot, conquers terrain with innovative control algorithms. from https://ece.engin.umich.edu/stories/marlo-the-free-standing-two-legged-robot-conquers-terrain-with-innovative-control-algorithms

"A free-standing bipedal robot at the University of Michigan can now walk down steep slopes, through a thin layer of snow, and over uneven and unstable ground. The robot’s feedback control algorithms should be able to help other two-legged robots as well as powered prosthetic legs gain similar capabilities.

“The robot has no feeling in her tiny feet, but she senses the angles of her joints— for instance, her knee angles, hip angles and the rotation angle of her torso,” said Jessy Grizzle, the Elmer G. Gilbert Distinguished University Professor of Engineering and the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering. “It’s like walking blindfolded and on stilts.”

MARLO is Grizzle’s first robot that can walk (and fall) in any direction, known as 3D walking. With their previous robot, MABEL, Grizzle’s team produced leading control algorithms for robots that need to move in only two dimensions. MABEL was attached to a boom that gave her sideways stability.

“Getting a robot to walk well in 3D can be a very frustrating process,” said Xingye (Dennis) Da, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering."

Technical Specifications

Min. Size: N/A

Max. Size: 1H (mm)

Max. Size: 0.039H (in)

Max. Payload: N/A

Weight: 55 kg

Weight: 121.254 lbs

Max. Locomotion Speed: 0.98 m/s

Max. Locomotion Speed: 3.215 ft/s

Max. Slope: N/A

Battery Operated? Tether & battery

Average Runtime: N/A

Max. Runtime: N/A

Battery Recharge Time: N/A

Gaits: Walk, Other

Number of Legs: 2

DOFs per Leg: N/A

DOFs per Arm/Manipulator: N/A

DOFs (total): 9

Manipulation: N/A

IP Rating: N/A

Operating Temperature: N/A

Open-source? N/A

Price: N/A

Show more specs

Actuators: Series elastic actuators; Four sagittal-plane leg motors use harmonic drives with a 50:1 gear ratio, and two hip-abduction motors use a belt transmission with a 26.7:1 gear ratio. Power amplifiers for leg & hip: 5 Nm & 3 Nm

No more specs to show.

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References

Griffin B, Grizzle J. Nonholonomic virtual constraints and gait optimization for robust walking control. The International Journal of Robotics Research. 2017;36(8):895-922. doi:10.1177/0278364917708249

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