General

Created a robot that is not afraid of any obstacles

Most robots are very monotonous: they either walk on two legs or look like four-legged dogs. Researchers from the Massachusetts Northeastern University have diversified the scope of robotics with the help of a Leonardo robot, which is able to walk on two legs, jump and even fly short distances. The developers are sure that he is able to overcome any obstacles, from barriers to fairly wide holes - why isn’t the best robot for researching distant planets?

Leonardo's height does not exceed 80 centimeters, andweight - 2.7 kg. With a small mass, the robot is very stable - this is achieved by using carbon fiber. Lightness allows the mechanism to fly up to a small height with just two engines. Unfortunately, he is not as maneuverable as drones, but he does not need that. The robot is not designed for flying - thanks to its motors, it easily jumps over obstacles and lands safely on both legs.

The idea was not to createa quadcopter, but to create a machine that could use its legs and engines to increase the range of jumps, ”explained the lead author of the project, Alireza Ramezani.

Motors with blades need a robot not only forlong jumps, but also to maintain balance. For us humans, this seems like a very simple task, but for robots it is something complicated and especially important. One has only to remember the first versions of the ATLAS robot from Boston Dynamics - they stumbled at almost every turn. Fortunately, by 2018 they had become so dexterous that they were even able to perform acrobatic stunts.

Such a flexible robot, of course, will be particularly useful in science. For example, he will be able to explore the surface of other planets, which is full of craters and other irregularities.

Imagine a robot that literally never falls: it can cross rough terrain, fly and jump. In the future, we can use such a machine for research.

What do you think, what other tasks can Leonardo handle? Write your suggestions in the comments or in our Telegram-chat.