Meet BirdBot, an energy-efficient robot leg - research published in Science Robotics

A team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of California, Irvine constructed a robot leg that, like its natural model, is very energy efficient. BirdBot benefits from a foot-leg coupling through a network of muscles and tendons that extends across multiple joints. In this way, BirdBot needs fewer motors than previous legged robots and could, theoretically, scale to large size. On March 16th, the researchers will publish their work in Science Robotics.
Find out more here: www.is.mpg.de/news

[@ProjectDarkwood]

If someone doesn't use this information to build a life sized robotic dromaeosaurid is it even worth it

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

There was a 45min presentation with one of the creator. The one doing the interview mentions at one point that she would love to see a robotic Trex and Alex (guy mentioned in the video) said he would too. Which I thought was strange since he seemed like the likeliest person to do it

[@HeWhoKnows777]

No it isn't worth it. That humanity doesn't dedicated 100% of it's efforts to robotics is also incredibly dissapointing.

[@user-hx6rd3zd2z]

Надеюсь, эти технологии будут использованы во благо людям. 👍

[@horacefields736]

Excellent work and a terrific explanation. I have a feeling we'll be seeing many birdbots in the future.

[@helios6978]

fucking window xp

[@javierhillier4252]

your profile picture just made me realise how my profile picture is similare to the windows XP background lol 😂

[@bushman9290]

Although not mentioned, the first and last bird shown in this excellent video is Dromaius novaehollandiae, or Emu, a flightless bird of Australia.

Thank you for sharing.

[@Simplebutgreat2]

Great work guys! Seeing this reminds me of the techniek used for walking the robot "Kain" from the robocop movie.

[@smithtorreysmith]

This is awesome!

[@anrede8495]

BirdBots walking gait looks quite cool

[@DaScorp]

*Mechwarrior Timberwolf enter the chat.*

[@Gadgetify]

fascinating

[@hay_Z2021]

I wish people started making biologically accurate animal legs like this, as well as biologically accurate bodies for robots instead of elbows on a toaster like that spot robot, and other 4 legged robots, implementing this would be much cooler, not to mention more can be done with a robot thats more sturdy, needs less power, and can move better,

[@zarodgaming1844]

The man who invented the wheel 4000 years ago, already being the perfect transport method: *how low has our civilization gone*

[@mbunds]

I see a lot of wires leading to various places on the limbs. Load cells?

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

No , the only thing that needs power is the motors of the hip and upper hip , these cables are for powering the tension sensors , there are images of the Birbot without these cables leading to the limbs , hope that clears it

[@mbunds]

@@ulforcemegamon3094 Thanks! Tension sensors = load cells.

[@Hukkinen]

Wunderschön! I've for long had the intuition, that you could have a quite dexterous leg with only one DoF. This is it! There's a lot of passive computation done by the mechanics! Beautiful! 😀🦿🦾👌🙏

[@GABM1983]

BT-7274 likes this.

[@tisam1170]

This is opensource?

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

Sort of, the code along with the material list is in the description

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

CAD files available for non commercial use

[@ryanmckenna2047]

Can someone link the paper?

[@dr.rajasaurusandunclebonec6526]

How does it turn right or left

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

It does not have that degree of freedom. Only forward

[@williamhuang5329]

Hanzhen harmonicc drive gear , robot arm joint , strain wave reducer, over 30 years experience

[@footfault1941]

Let's scale it up! Say, T.rex! Kinematics, GRF, duty factor, gait change to velocity ... You name it!

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

In a interview with one of the people who worked in the project , it shows the images of a scaled up version of the Birdbot legs , these legs are 1.75 meters tall , mostly made with wood with some metal parts , of course it has the cables and the springs, it weights 75kg and can support a max weight of 2234 kg as said in the interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZO9eGCfirp-j7c

[@footfault1941]

@@ulforcemegamon3094 thanks for a tip! Appreciated. The video was really cool.

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

@@footfault1941 indeed it was ! Birdbot feels like an scaled down version of a sci-fi robot , except that we can actually make it bigger

[@cherylm2C6671]

Bird leg robots should work very well in sandy environments. Prosthetic?

[@frontech3271]

It's got chicken legs! IT'S GOT CHICKEN LEGS.

[@GetToThePointAlready]

Very cute

[@dunzek943]

So this is how the emus won the war

[@RooZvonBooZ]

Metal Gear...? 👀

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

We are getting close to it

[@Wobblybob2004]

AT-ST?

[@3D_Printing]

It's for the Birds LOL

[@TeddyLeppard]

No reason why this kind of locomotion couldn't be used by a double amputee person also.

[@medioguitarrista]

Metal Gear is coming....

[@GoynetTube]

Super cool! Didn't George Lucas and the boys design this in the 1980's?

[@BerndBuchegger]

Star Wars hatte also recht - der 2-beinige Walker wird endlich Realität! 😀

[@TheKevlar]

Brilliant, now where is the ostrich burger?

[@walterbishop6135]

who does this help other than the military industrial complex and psychopathic technocrats?

[@mho...]

a low energy, all terrain walking machine would be extremely useful in may situations!

[@ricomon35]

@@mho... You're trying to convince a paranoid. Just watch his self-made channel vids ;)

[@mikeg4972]

Robotics companies.

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

@@mho... agree , one of the issues of walking machines is the power they need to go around (energy) , making an machine with a high payload capacity that can walk over unestructured terrain while using not so much energy would greatly help for many applications

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

Idk about you guys but I would like a robot chicken