Aug 16, 2011 09:59 GMT  ·  By

Researchers in the United States announce the creation of the world's fastest bipedal robot. Capable of reaching a peak speed of no less than 6.8 miles per hour (10.94 kilometers per hour), the machine is the fastest in the world that also has knees.

What the University of Michigan team wanted to achieve with the new robot, called MABEL, was to create a machine that emulated the way humans run. As such, the robot has joints just like a human's, and achieves its impressive speed by sophisticated algorithms.

The reason why robotics experts are trying to emulate human gait is because nature made us among the most efficient walkers of all species on Earth. We are agile and efficient when we walk or run because a large amount of the energy we put in is recovered and recycled.

As such bipedal walking is one of the most energy-efficient and agile ways of getting around. Robots that use four or more feet are more stable, but also less agile and a lot slower. While they may be suited for military applications, they are rather useless for civilian ones.

“It's stunning. I have never seen a machine doing a motion like this,” U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science professor Jessy Grizzle explains. He built the machine with Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute PhD student Jonathan Hurst, back in 2008.

Since then, U-M PhD students Koushil Sreenath and Hae-Won Park have been aiding Grizzle in improving MABEL and its performances. One of the primary objectives has been improving the machine's feedback algorithms.

These mathematical formulas are used when the robot advances. What they do is process data the machine collects from its environment, and sends necessary adjustment data to the on-board computer. This helps the robot remain balanced, among others.

“We envision some extraordinary potential applications for legged robot research: exoskeletons that enable wheelchair-bound people to walk again or that give rescuers super-human abilities, and powered prosthetic limbs that behave like their biological counterparts,” explains Hurst.

The expert now holds an appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at the Oregon State University. “The robotics community has been trying to come up with machines that can go places where humans can go, so a human morphology is important,” he adds.

“If you would like to send in robots to search for people when a house is on fire, it probably needs to be able to go up and down stairs, step over the baby's toys on the floor, and maneuver in an environment where wheels and tracks may not be appropriate,” Grizzle concludes.

Video Description: This is the MABEL robot in action