While it looks more like a toaster with legs than Usain Bolt, Cornell
Universitys Ranger robot has set some track records all the same. On
July 6, Ranger set a world record for untethered robotic walking,
traveling 14.3 miles in only 11 hours.
Guided by students with a remote control, Ranger navigated 108.5
times around the Barton Hall indoor track, about 212 meters per lap, and
made about 70,000
steps before it had to stop and recharge. The 14.3-mile record
beats the former world record set by Boston Dynamics’ BigDog, which had
claimed the record at 12.8 miles.
Previously, Cornell students set a record for a robot walking
untethered in April 2008, when Ranger strode about 5.6 miles around the
Barton Hall track. Boston
Dynamics’ BigDog subsequently beat that record.
One goal for robotic research is to show off the machine’s energy
efficiency. Unlike other walking robots that use motors to control every
movement, the Ranger appears more relaxed and in a way emulates human
walking, using gravity and momentum to help swing its legs forward.
The information could be applied to rehabilitation, prostheses for
humans and improving
athletic performance.
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