The robot, named PRIMER V4, was developed by the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence and the Neural Network Society of Robotics, in association with the Intelligence Systems Research Institute and Boston Dynamics Osaka.
PRIMER V4 is designed to balance itself whether it walks on a rope, rides a bicycle, or walks on a sloped surface.
Balancing and Navigation
The robot’s centre of gravity is maintained such that it can balance itself on a thin rope. The robot maintains posture and balance control by swinging its arms, just like humans balance themselves on a rope.
Watch the video of PRIMER V4 as it walks on a steel wire rope with a 4 mm thickness.
The robot has sensors, like an inclination sensor, to know the angle of a slope and its roll axis. It can walk on slopes by detecting the tilt in the horizontal plane and balances itself without any rotation.
Future Applications in Robotics
This year has witnessed a major development in robotics with the creation of advanced robots like the Cheetah robot, LS3, and Baxter. These robots will work alongside humans in disaster management, workshop production, and defence.
Will some of these gymnastic robots replace animals in circuses? If so, animals will finally get their freedom. A robotic circus would be much more interesting to see, wouldn’t it?
Watch the video of PRIMER V4 as it rides a small bicycle and balances itself on the course.
