Don’t break a leg

The control objective for bipedal gait is a matter of debate in the biomechanics community. Model driven studies suggested stability in the sense of aiming for returning to a previous steady-state after perturbation. Experiments with birds, the largest population of bipedal animals, in combination with a simulation study suggests that the control objective might be something else. Check out our new article in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Humanoid speed records

Comparing robots to each other is not an easy task given all the different design and control concepts. Furthermore a speed record, in my humble opinion, accounts more for human showmanship than for a scientific insight. Nevertheless, what robots actually run and at what speeds make frequently good lab discussions, and therefore I present a small ranking of humanoid robots and their reported speeds. Only human-size robots (based on my rather subjective judgement) are considered, the list will be updated. Continue reading