Light, Fast Cat-Like Robot

(EPFL, June 17, 2013)

EPFL Biorobotics Laboratory's four-legged “cheetah-cub robot” has the same advantages as its feline model: it is small, light and fast. During tests, it demonstrated its ability to run nearly seven times its body length in one second, making it the fastest robot in its category. Although not as agile as a real cat, it still has excellent auto-stabilization characteristics when running at full speed or over a course that included disturbances such as small steps. Its particularity is the design of its legs, whose design faithfully reproduces feline morphology. The number of segments – three on each leg – and their proportions are the same as they are on a cat. Springs are used to reproduce tendons, and actuators – small motors that convert energy into movement – are used to replace the muscles.