News / Youtube

Walk-Man humanoid robot can help In search and rescue

Friday, 04 March 2016 6:32 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 04 March 2016 6:36 PM ]

Walk-Man Humanoid Robot Can Help In Search And Rescue

Natural disasters like hurricanes, mudslides and earthquakes can cause widespread damages to life and property. And those injured can often be very hard to reach for search and rescue teams. Robots are now changing all that.

From science fiction movies to animal-shaped robots, researchers have been trying to build up robots that could benefit humans and integrate into their society. Achieving another milestone in robotics, Italian scientists has created a robot that can interact with the environment and replace humans in emergency situations.

To effectively navigate through tricky environments, Walk-Man uses all its limbs to demonstrate whole-body motion dynamics. Using its hands, arms, legs and feet, Walk-Man can maintain a more stable and balanced motion by reaching out to support itself while overcoming obstacles.

"We believe that — as humans also do — that legs are not only enough. You have to use also the arms, you have to be able to grasp the environment and actually assist your locomotion by creating additional contacts with the environmental balance," the lead researcher said.

Walk-man has hands and feet for manipulating human tools. (walk-man.eu)

The machine is nearly 2-meters high and was created in four years. With 33 degrees of freedom, the robot can walk around, move its lengthy arms and hold objects. Numerous sensors such as stereo vision system, 3D laser scanner, and color cameras give the robot perception of its environment and movement in real-time.

The first prototype of the humanoid robot took part in the DARPA Robotics Challenge finals in June, where teams from around the world showcased robots capable of assisting humans in responding to natural disasters.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

robot