Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: excited

Robot Balancing

Here's an impressive video of a bipedal robot balancing on narrow surfaces.  What makes this impressive:

* The robot is top-heavy, like most bipedal models today, yet still manages to balance.

* Narrow surfaces are more challenging than wide ones.

* Uneven or wobbly surfaces are more challenging than stable ones.

* The robot crosses its feet over each other.  Look at the motion closely.  The hip, knee, and ankle joints must be very sophisticated to support this level of agility.

Notice that this biped is still tethered.  Here is an early video of the MIT robot cheetah, first in harness and then running free.  (Warning: robot abuse ahead.) A more advanced version can climb over debris and recover from shoves.  The current version can right itself after falls and even backflip.  Compare this progression to the bipedal robot shown above and you can imagine where it might go in a few years.

I fucking love science.  :D
Tags: news, science, video
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  • 2 comments
zianuray

Is there somethng wrong with me or right

zianuray

May 11 2019, 03:48:55 UTC 2 years ago

that I find the robot abuse disturbing? I mean, I know it's part of the development process, but it seems mean.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Is there somethng wrong with me or right

ysabetwordsmith

May 11 2019, 03:59:52 UTC 2 years ago

Something right. The more "lifelike" a robot seems, the more people feel upset when it is "mistreated." Our ape brain responds to seeing someone kick a catlike robot as if kicking an actual cat. This is a GOOD thing because, as we continue to develop various types of artificial intelligence, there is a real chance some of it will come to life. If we are empathetic toward robots, we're more likely to treat them decently; if not, they may be abused. That leads to things like The Matrix, which would be bad for everyone.

When I was little, I watched Star Wars, and the droid torture scene really bothered me. It was largely played for laughs -- other people seemed to find it hilarious -- but I never saw it that way. I wasn't keen on the slavery either.

It gives me hope when other people see things like this and feel disturbed rather than amused.