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| Highlights | |
|---|---|
| RHEX & AQUA | Scout II |
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Research News: Scout II is the world's first galloping robot. We presented our results at AMAM 2003 in Kyoto, Japan during the first week of March. A video summary of the trip is available. Galloping and Half-Bound videos:
Bounding videos: |
| Current Projects | |
| RHEX (1999 - Present) | Scout II (1998 - Present) |
 To study simple robot designs
inspired by biology, the hexaped RHex was developed in
collaboration with researchers at U. Michigan and University of
California at Berkeley. To date this robot has shown
unparalleled versatility and a remarkable ability to navigate
over all sorts of rough terrain - More about
RHex .
In order to test RHex's limits, we have been taking it on weekly hikes though all kinds of rugged terrain. Check out these amazing videos of RHex in action.  RHex taking a swim. Also, have a look at Rhex scurrying around Mt. Royal and Mt. St. Hilaire: Walk over rocky cliff, Dash through forest, Fall over cliff, but won't be beaten!, ForestRun1, ForestRun2 
Stair-climbing videos: regular- and slow-motion. Circular leg stairclimbing. Other videos: National Geographic: Science Times video about bio-inspired robots. Interesting footage includes discussions by Bob Full and Dave McMordie's pronking implementation on RHex. |
 Following our work
with Scout I, a larger version of the robot, Scout II, was
designed to show the viability of simple robot designs for all
sorts of urban applications. Scout II is able to walk,
run, turn, and more. Step climbing is currently being
investigated. Walking,
Running,
Other
Behaviors, Picture
Gallery
| |
| AQUA (2002 - Present) | |
 RHex's underwater sibling. This robot will be able to swim, dive and
walk at the bottom of the sea. We are investigating novel means of
underwater propulsion with legs, to permit fully amphibious operation of
the RHex six-legged robot. Possible applications are surveillance of
underwater habitats, inspection of underwater structures, and detection
and removal of floating mines in the littoral zone.
This project is a collaboration with
Greg Dudek at McGill and other
researchers, Michael Jenkin
at York University and Evangelos Milios at Dalhousie University.
| |
| PAW (2000 - Present) | |
New! Here is a view of the latest ANT design. Check out the SPIE 2002 proceedings
to see how dynamic its behavior can be! You can also visit the DRES ANT
webpage for more information. | |
| Past Projects | |
| Scorpion (2001 - 2002) | LSAGCM (2000 - 2002) |
 In collaboration with other investigators from AiS and MIT,
the ARL has begun work on a new Scorpion design.
Check out a simulation with eight compliant two degree of freedom legs
and one with six compliant two degree of freedom legs.
You can also see the main Scorpion webpage for the background and development info with many video clips.
|
 This is the Localisation System for Autonomous Golf
Course Mowers (LSAGCM) project, applying robotics to a
commercial (TORO) lawnmower. Check out some of the details at
Carnegie
Mellon, a research partner. More info and updates will follow.
|
| Scout II w/ Passive Knees (1998 - 2000) | Sony AIBO (1999 - 2000) |
 To
explore trotting gaits on Scout II, Geoff Hawker designed
passive knees. Since humans and animals use very little
energy to swing their lower leg forward in walking, why not
design a passive knee controlled only by the motion of the
hip? Find out
more!
|
 We participated for two years in
the World Robocup challenge. Along with other researchers at
McGill we helped train a team of four robot puppies to play
soccer. For current information on the project, please visit the
McGill Red Dogs webpage, or visit the Official Sony AIBO webpage. |
| Scout I (1996 - 1998) | Monopod II (1993 - 1997) |
 Scout I was the first quadruped
developed at ARL. It was designed by Ken Yamazaki with the
purpose of studying locomotion strategies for mechanically
simple robots. Scout I has only ONE motor per leg - the simplest
quadruped ever designed. Yet, Scout I can perform an amazing
variety of behaviors including walking, turning, side-stepping,
and step climbing. See
Scout I walk!
|
 Experiments with Monopod I showed
that it used (wasted) a considerable amount of the energy to
swing its leg. Adding a spring in the hip and synchronizing the
leg swing and vertical hopping motion, Monopod II ran up to 1.2
m/s using only 68 W of mechanical power. This makes Monopod II
the most energy efficient running robot ever designed !! Hop
along!
|
| CARL (1993 - 1995) | Monopod I (1992 - 1994) |
 In order to study light weight
anthropomorphic legs, we built CARL (Compliant Articulated Robot
Leg). It had four revolute degrees of freedom, two of which were
actuated by a novel transmission called the ATLAS (AnTagonistic
LADD Actuation System) that used two CLADDs.
A novel revolute
polymeric spring provided knee
compliance.
|
 Monopod I was
based on Raibert's one-legged hopper design, with the
actuationand control laws adapted for low power electric
motors. This allowed the robot to run at speeds of up to 1 m/s
with an average (mechanical) power consumption of 150
W. |
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New! We put a waterproof version of RHex, which was made neutrally buoyant,
into a reef environment. A person on shore used the footage from the robot's
front and back cameras to teleoperate it. The robot demonstrated great
maneuverability and the ability to move in all directions in a 3D
environment. 
March 2003: RHex can run on its rear legs! Using only 2 actuated degrees of freedom
RHex can be a very simple dynamically stabilized running biped robot. See RHex 
