In Japan, they created a four-legged robot that can climb vertical stairs

The development of robots is moving forward: the other day, Japanese robotics published the results of the development of a new device. This is a robot that can climb vertical stairs, recognizing handrails and other elements, and it can also climb some other vertical surfaces.

Four-armed robots are a pretty popular trend now. One of the first such devices began to be developed at Boston Dynamics. Four manipulators give the robot the ability to maintain balance and cross rather complex areas with uneven terrain. Not only hardware is being developed, but also software for robots.

Nevertheless, few representatives of the world of robots can cope with high obstacles. First of all, these are robotic systems from Boston Dynamics and Honda. The problem for robots is the difficulty of maintaining equilibrium: with vertical movement, the center of gravity of the mechanism deviates backward and it is very difficult for the robot to stay.

The Japanese solved the problem relatively simply – they equipped their offspring with simple grips that do not at all prevent the device from walking on a flat surface, but help to stay on when trying to climb the vertical ladder. Each of the “legs” manipulator has five degrees of freedom. Manipulators are equipped with pressure, force and touch sensors. There are special latches that make it possible to fix the manipulator on the stairs while moving.


The laser range finders, which are located on the back, as well as four cameras on the head, help the robot navigate in space. Sensors make it possible to determine the distance to various objects. Information from all sensors enters the control unit, where it is processed. In addition, special algorithms provide recognition of handrails and rungs of the stairs, showing the robot at which point you can grab hold of the support.

The disadvantage of this solution is that the robot must be trained for each individual ladder. Nevertheless, Japanese robotics hope in the near future to improve their development. The robot moves relatively slowly (the video above is 2 times faster), so this issue will have to be addressed.

If everything works out, there will be new robots that can move on almost any type of surface. You can use them for different purposes – reconnaissance on the ground, the search for people affected by earthquakes or other disasters, the study of industrial facilities, etc.

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