Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI) has made a remarkable leap in robotics by developing a system that allows a standard quadruped robot to walk on a narrow balance beam!
According to the team, this feat has never been accomplished, making it the first of its kind.
RWA System
The team, headed by Zachary Manchester, utilized a reaction wheel actuator (RWA) system initially designed for satellite control. They affixed two RWAs to the back of a commercial Unitree A1 robot, enabling independent control over the robot's angular momentum.
The RWA system is crucial as it allows the robot to balance independently of its feet' positions, making it possible to walk on a narrow balance beam.
As Manchester explains, modern quadruped robots typically have a torso and four legs that end in round feet, making them ideal for navigating flat surfaces and stairs.
However, they are lacking the innate agility that animals such as cheetahs or falling cats have in controlling sharp turns or adjusting their orientation in mid-air.
Quadruped robots require three feet in contact with the ground to avoid tipping over. When only one or two feet are on the ground, the robot is at a higher risk of falling, making it difficult to move on rough terrain.
In order to tackle the balance issue, Zachary Manchester and his team utilized a distinctive control technique through the use of an RWA system.
This RWA system involves a large flywheel with an attached motor that can manipulate the angular momentum of a spacecraft.
By attaching two RWAs to the robot's back, the team enabled independent control of the robot's body orientation.
A series of experiments confirmed that the system improved the robot's ability to recover from sudden impacts.
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"The Next Big Thing in Robots"
Manchester foresees that quadruped robots will soon evolve from primarily being research platforms to becoming widely available commercial products, similar to drones a decade ago.
He firmly believes that with further enhancements to a quadruped robot's stabilizing capabilities to match the innate agility of their four-legged animal counterparts that served as inspiration for their design, these robots could potentially be used in critical scenarios such as search-and-rescue missions.
Manchester stated, "Quadrupeds are the next big thing in robots. I think you're going to see a lot more of them in the wild in the next few years."
According to the team, the research has led to the first successful instance of a quadruped robot walking on a narrow balance beam, a significant milestone in robotics.
The team's research paper "Enhanced Balance for Legged Robots Using Reaction Wheels" has secured a spot for presentation at the prestigious 2023 International Conference on Robotics and Automation in London, which will run from May 29 to June 2.
The team is optimistic that their methodology could be applied to enhance the stability and balance of other types of legged robots, resulting in more adaptable and functional machines.
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