Boston Dynamics PETMAN humanoid robot walks faster than earlier prototype

Boston Dynamics PETMAN humanoid robot walks faster than earlier prototype: "Boston Dynamics have released a new video of their humanoid robot PETMAN which we met for the first time last October. The new humanoid prototype walks faster than the previous one reaching speeds of over 4 miles per hour. PETMAN is different than most other humanoid robots under development because it more closely matches the way humans walk; that is, this robot is a dynamic walker.

PETMAN can be seen in the video below walking at 4.4 mph which is 7.08 kph. This makes it faster than Toyota's running humanoid robot of last year with a top speed of 7 kph. Honda's much celebrated humanoid ASIMO is now a distant 3rd with a top speed of 6 kph. And PETMAN can keep its balance when an external force is applied, e.g., when pushed by a very rude engineer.




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New Boston Dynamics Vids Show Faster Bots, Not Much Else

New Boston Dynamics Vids Show Faster Bots, Not Much Else: "


Boston Dynamics has posted some updated videos of BigDog and PETMAN. As far as I can tell, there isn’t much new going on… BigDog still carries a bunch of stuff, climbs up muddy hills, doesn’t fall down on ice, looks like two guys running around under a tarp, and sounds like a swarm of killer bees. The one new sequence that I noticed shows BigDog running (the definition of running being an airborne gait phase) at 5 mph. At the end of the video, when the hydraulics are run externally and the engine is off, BigDog sounds a lot more reasonable. Unfortunately, it’s hard to beat the power density and instant rechargeability of petroleum-based fuels, so we might be stuck with the bees for a while longer.



PETMAN is moving a bit more briskly as well, reaching a walking speed of 4.4 mph. Although it’s dynamically balancing itself, it still looks to me like it’s perpetually on the verge of falling over, but I guess arguably that’s what dynamic balancing is all about. Remember that eventually Petman is supposed to be able to crawl, sweat, and do ‘calisthenics’ to test protective clothing. And when I say eventually, I mean by 2011, but that seems a little bit optimistic at this point. Artificial fingers crossed!

[ Boston Dynamics ]

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