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Watch the World’s Fastest Two-Legged Robot ‘Run’ Like a Human!

Aug. 17, 2011 12:24pm Liz Klimas

Engineers at the University of Michigan have created the world’s fastest bipedal robot with knees. With a surprisingly human-like gait and a top speed of 6.8 miles per hour, MABEL looks like “a real runner.”

Watch MABEL run here:

“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,” said developer Jonathan Hurst in the University of Michigan press release. Hurst is now an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University.

Researchers created MABEL in 2008 and, like a toddler, the robot walked before it ran. Engineers then refined algorithms to improve the robot’s balance and reaction to its environment in real time. In July 2011, MABEL went for its first real jog. With weight balanced like a human, MABEL is in the air 40 percent of each stride, whereas other running robots are in the air 10 percent of the time.

The benefit of a bipedal robot like MABEL its ability to function in environments designed for humans.

“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,” said Jessy Grizzle, University of Michigan professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

See how MABEL can accommodate a step here:

Though MABEL is currently a headless robot, perhaps it may someday be combined with the head of the robot we introduced you to yesterday that can read, sing and is beginning to learn human expression.

So, these robots can read and run, but can they save trapped miners? Yup. Take a look at this new one. Developed to be a first responder for trapped miners, it can go in before rescuers and assess the situation and help develop a rescue plan.

[H/T Popular Science]

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Comments (161)

wboehmer
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:08pm
A pretty clumsy imitation of what God’s creation does almost effortlessly!

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javasport
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:08pm
Yeah but can it sneak up on you? I think not!

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- db321
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:06pm
  Make it walk backwards
  
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- Veritas vos liberabit
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:12pm
  Skynet is online
  
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- Warphead
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:19pm
  Not today, maybe not tomorrow but someday soon it will not only sneak up on you, it’ll sneak up on you at about 30mph. It will be armed and fire faster and more acurately than any human ever dreamt with weapons never imagined. You can’t hide, it will see in the dark, it will see the very heat eminating from your body, and if that isn’t enough it will just smell you out. Cold wet environments or the hottest of deserts are all the same to it. It won’t get tired, it doesn’t need sleep and it can feed itself from sources you never imagined. So if you think it can’t sneak up on you, well, it already has. The future is here and it is dangerous.
  
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- taskmaster78
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:04pm
  Just take the rod which holds it up and watch it fail. This is the biggest waste of money yet, it compares to all the beer I’ve bought in the last two weeks. But it was much funner then watching this tin dummy run.
  
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- 101
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:13pm
  “boom for lateral stabilization” [FAIL]
  
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- Secret Squirrel
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:20pm
  .
  Oh, yeah!
  Well I wouldn’t fall either if I had a post to hold me up!
  
  Report this comment
- Secret Squirrel
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:23pm
  .
  .It can never match the wonder of the human mind.
  So how did Obama get elected.?
  
  Dem-bots.
  
  Report this comment
- quickstudy
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:51pm
  It has a stabilizing pole. It is NOT running free. Take away the pole and it would make a nice noise as it fell.
  
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- 101
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 5:53pm
  Put a motor on the center axis so it spins like a centrifuge and it will spin at1320 miles per hour or mach 2.5, unfortunately the “robot” would frag-out under the G-force.
  
  Report this comment
- ProbIemSoIver
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 7:20pm
  I am not impressed !!! Major fail !!!!
  
  Report this comment
- RepubliCorp
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 7:22pm
  must be Obama it has a stick up its butt
  
  Report this comment
- Flybot
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 7:33pm
  Not impressed at all now make it run with out the center support and I might give it a second look
  
  Report this comment
- RoBoTech
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 8:28pm
  “RepubliCorp
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 7:22pm
  
  must be Obama it has a stick up its butt”
  
  STOP IT, you are KILLING me, HAAAAAHHAHAAAAAA, omigawd!
  The vision that incites in my head.
  
  Report this comment
- Meyvn
  Posted on August 18, 2011 at 8:14am
  It’s absurd how loud it is. It’s not supporting it’s own weight, and it’s tethered. Not impressed so far. But they gotta start somewhere I suppose. I bet God laughs at us when we attempt to copy his designs while coming across so clumsy and clueless in the process. To Him it’s probably like watching a toddler play with toys they cannot understand.
  
  Report this comment
- Napkin
  Posted on August 18, 2011 at 4:50pm
  I’d be more impressed if someone could make a Coke taste like a Coke used to… damned corn syrup ruined the world…
  
  Report this comment
408 CheyTac
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:08pm
Dont tell me we don’t have any money.

Honda has had asimo running at nearly 4mph just fine.

And it doesn’t look like something jeremy clarkson built.

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- Mil-Dot
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:43pm
  I don’t think it is cool at all. I mean if it were meant to help crippled people walk, yeah fine. That think looks like a prototype “hyper-alloy Terminator” chassis. I guarantee you the US Govt has already contacted them and will fund secret research to weaponize the dang thing. Then, turn them loose on us in about 30 years.
  
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- ZaphodsPlanet
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:20pm
  From the state that has given us Detroit comes a robot attached to a post that can run in a circle. Yes, the finest minds are in the universities these days. Honda’s robot outclasses this pile of crap in ways that are almost indescribable, but I’ll try. It’s like some kid looking for admiration from Henry Ford or Benz at their auto plants for saying he just invented this wonderful new technology called… a bolt.
  
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- RoBoTech
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 8:28pm
  Becker
  Or make some pie.
  
  Report this comment
One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:07pm
I have MS and that thing walks and jogs better than I can. :( I hope someday they can use this type of research to help those who can’t walk at all someday be able to use their legs again. It’s tough not being able to use your body the way GOD intended, believe me. And there’s millions out there who have it far worse than I do so I ain’t complaining too much, I can still walk thank God.

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- Warphead
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:50pm
  Check out the military exo-skeleton suite. It maybe sometime off in the future before it becomes more available but it just might be the ticket for those in your situation. One youtube video shows a soldier being able to lift heavy blocks over and over again without fatigue. The exo-skeleton did the work and his arm, legs and hands just acted as guides. I wish I had one. Sure could get a lot of the honey-do’s taken care of real quick.
  
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fastfacts
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:00pm
I WONDER HOW MUCH GOVERNMENT SPENDING WENT INTO THIS PROJECT???

If I gave you a list of government spending examples, could you tell the difference, watch the man on the street try to tell the difference: http://www.americanparchment.com/video/2011/aug/real_fake_spending.html

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- Bluefish49
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:15pm
  Dammit…just like Terminator started…..they’ll be back…
  
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salvawhoray
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:59pm
the biggest problem they face is making it run without the attachment.
Balance is the big promble.

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- mossbrain
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:12pm
  I don’t know where the video is but I saw a video about a year ago of a military robot that had excellent balance. They could shove it to the side and it would recover excellently and not fall down.
  
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- Jbones
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:41pm
  @mossbrain It was the DARPA pack mule called BigDog http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-03/darpas-amazing-robot-pack-mule-keeps-its-balance-ice
  
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- Mil-Dot
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:48pm
  Man, nice work Jbones. On the ball.
  
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rabidbunny
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:59pm
Creepy as all hell…

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- SavingtheRepublic.com
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:15pm
  Cyberdyne Systems Model T-BP01
  
  Report this comment
- Mil-Dot
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:45pm
  @Saving
  That is exactly what I said in a post above. We are on the same page brother.
  
  Report this comment
altops
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:57pm
is there something wrong with wheels? for a robot anyway?

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- Mannax
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:03pm
  Wheels have problem with terrain that a legged robot would not have.
  
  Report this comment
- Mil-Dot
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:47pm
  Mannax has it right. They would have a harder time chasing down dissidents if they had wheels. All they need now is to figure out how to attach a GE mini-gun to it.
  
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- Your Name Here
  Posted on August 18, 2011 at 8:33pm
  Just ask Spirit and Opportunity on Mars if they’d rather have legs or the wheels that get clogged with dust.
  You might also ask someone in a wheelchair if wheels are superior.
  
  Report this comment
ILConservative
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:56pm
These things will totally wipe out the need for illegals!

Although, pretty soon we’ll have storm troopers coming after us too!

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- Evil_Conservative
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 4:32pm
  yeah, just give it some white armor, a jetpack, and lots of weapons and you have yourself a dark trooper..
  
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HorseCrazy
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:54pm
creepy

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LMW
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:52pm
Can you think of how wonderful for those who can’t or have never walked to be sitting and having the robot holding you facing front and feeling like you are actually walking? What a blessing that would be.
I can see filled with robots carring people in towns where cars are not allowed. At the speed they can walk that is faster then traffic in some cities. Amazing and exciting to think of the many endless uses.

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- sWampy
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:07pm
  Very, very limited use, walking upright is a very inefficient mode of locomotion.
  
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- Veritas vos liberabit
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:09pm
  @swampy – walking upright is inefficient? How do you walk?
  
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timej31
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:50pm
Soon we can have them mowing lawns – for free! Como? Si!! Business owners will drive up to a house and off load one with a mower and set it and forget about it. Come back an hour later and find it sitting on the curb waiting for you.

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- timej31
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:51pm
  If someone takes it will it be theft or kidnapping?
  
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- bikerr
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:14pm
  By then there will be lawns that will only grow to a certain height and no mowing necessary.
  
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- DougfrominsolventCA
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 3:16pm
  So you can take it back to Home Depot.
  
  Report this comment
- Meyvn
  Posted on August 18, 2011 at 8:19am
  If someone destroys it will it be murder or vandalism?
  
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TXWildfire
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:48pm
Terminator 1! Terminator 2! Terminator 3! etc……..

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mossbrain
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:48pm
“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,”

Yeah well I don’t want to be paying my taxes or having my health insurance raised for some million dollar contraption for some cripple to walk. Pay for it yourselves crips or stay in your wheelchairs. Likewise idiots who need rescuing need to pay for it themselves.

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WhatsYerProblem
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:47pm
Skynet is watching…waiting… Has anybody seen Sarah Connor?

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- Lori
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:17pm
  Skynet is laughing at the tethered thing.
  
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conservative510
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:47pm
Your tax dollars at work!

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headbtweenlegs
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:43pm
SHHHH ! can’t sneak up on anybody

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southerngal
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:40pm
i have spent most of my life running around in circles. So this is the future? Now machines will run around in circles for us. Hand me the remote please.

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Gonzo
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:38pm
Make it work without the outrigger and you’ll have something.

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- Warphead
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:50pm
  Before you walk, you must crawl.
  
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KickinBack
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:36pm
They should add a Terminator-like head to it.

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- smithclar3nc3
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:42pm
  My dog runs faster than a human do and it too is tethered to a pole.
  
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Captain Crunch
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:32pm
Terminator war machines of the near future.

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:31pm
Can’t wait for the Cyber Olympics!

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Goohuman
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:31pm
Looks like something out of an anime movie.

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ddg7
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:30pm
Put a pair of Nike’s on it and it could pass as the President. It makes a lot of noise, runs around in circles, and just follows the commands given to it.

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- banjarmon
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:35pm
  Good ONE LOL
  
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- jmiller_42
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:42pm
  lol
  
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- lilsis
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:45pm
  Could’nt have said it better myself.
  
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- jchristop
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:49pm
  and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth
  
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- Wyatt's Torch
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:49pm
  …and is also having trouble “stepping down”
  
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- Hephzibah
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 1:29pm
  Ever since O’Narcissist stepped onto the horizon, I’ve thought he was a robot or an android. Why else can he not show an un-forged birth certificate and nobody can remember him from college?
  
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- Veritas vos liberabit
  Posted on August 17, 2011 at 2:14pm
  Yes!!
  
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TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on August 17, 2011 at 12:27pm
I want one!!

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