Robots: Bio-inspired Locomotion

Posted 21 Nov 2008 at 18:48 UTC (updated 21 Nov 2008 at 18:48 UTC) by mwaibel

The new episode of the Robots podcast interviews biologist Robert Full from UC Berkeley. Prof. Full is very well known in the robotics community for his past and present work to shed light on animal locomotion. By studying cockroaches run in complex terrain or how crabs can run in sand, he has inspired roboticists to create the RHex robot, which uses open-loop control and bouncy legs for incredible agility in rough terrain. More recently he has been looking at climbing animals such as geckos and the Van der Waals forces which allow their hairy feet to cling to walls and ceilings. In the second part of this episode Auke Ijspeert from the EPFL then gives us his take on animal locomotion and Full's work. Tune in!