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Introduction
Published in Xiaorui Zhu, Youngshik Kim, Mark Andrew Minor, Chunxin Qiu, Autonomous Mobile Robots in Unknown Outdoor Environments, 2017
Xiaorui Zhu, Youngshik Kim, Mark Andrew Minor, Chunxin Qiu
Military applications have financed many research teams to create and study mobile robots around the world. For example, DARPA Robot Challenges have lasted a few years to encourage and support advancement of technologies and implementations of real-world mobile robots. The BigDog is a four-legged mobile robot that is probably the most notable outcome in the DARPA robotics program created in 2005 [5], Figure 1.3. That is to say, it is required to traverse on a variety of rough terrains autonomously while keeping a proper speed as a companion of a soldier. Approximately 50 sensors were built onto BigDog to interact with the actuators via the onboard computer in order to accomplish autonomous locomotion control, self-balance control, and autonomous navigation. In 2012, the inventors of BigDog claimed that the militarized Legged Squad Support System variant of BigDog had the capability to hike over tough terrain. At the end of February 2013, Boston Dynamics released video footage of a modified BigDog with an arm that can pick up objects and throw them. The robot relies on its legs and torso to help power the motions of the arm [6].
Bionic Design of Artificial Muscle Based on Biomechanical Models of Skeletal Muscle
Published in Yuehong Yin, Biomechanical Principles on Force Generation and Control of Skeletal Muscle and their Applications in Robotic Exoskeleton, 2020
So far, the most advanced bionic robot might be the ASIMO developed by Japan Honda Corporation [34]. The height of this robot is 1.3 m, and the weight is 52 kg. The multi-DOF motion is achieved by servo motors. There are also flexible damping materials connecting electric motor and driving joint. The structure has the similar functions of buffer and energy storage as the above SEA, as illustrated in Figure 6.4. Boston Dynamics used hydraulic actuators to develop the BigDog, simulating quadruped locomotion of dogs with the speed of 4 km/h. It also uses springs to simulate the functions of buffer and energy storage of skeletal muscle [35].
Computational Neuroscience and Compartmental Modeling
Published in Bahman Zohuri, Patrick J. McDaniel, Electrical Brain Stimulation for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders, 2019
Bahman Zohuri, Patrick J. McDaniel
BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station. It was funded by DARPA, but the project was shelved after the BigDog was deemed too loud for combat. BigDog is the most advanced rough-terrain robot on the Earth so far and uses artificial intelligence to learn how to walk on a number of difficult terrains – such as on ice. Figure 1.3 is a presentation of the futuristic and artistic structure of a superintelligence robot.
Trends in hydraulic actuators and components in legged and tough robots: a review
Published in Advanced Robotics, 2018
Koichi Suzumori, Ahmad Athif Faudzi
The first agile and tough hydraulic legged robot, BigDog, was developed by Boston Dynamics using hydraulic actuation under the American Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2005. BigDog was the first advanced rough-terrain robot to leave the lab and adapt with the real-world environment. BigDog was originally developed to serve as a robotic assistance to accompany soldiers in terrain which is too rough for conventional vehicles to move [84–86]. The Boston Dynamics machines appear to be optimized for specific tasks and applied hydraulics as described in [87]. WildCat could run at 32 km/h while maneuvering and maintaining its balance while LS3 is a tough hydraulic machine that can carry 181 kg of payload. Spot, an improved version of BigDog, Wildcat and LS3, is a quiet four-legged robot with extraordinary capability to locomote on rough terrain and easy to be operated by human. Handle has a unique design compared to the previous quadruped with 10 actuated joints which combines the rough-terrain capability of legs with the efficiency of wheels using both hydraulic and electric actuators. It uses many of the same principles for dynamics, balance, and mobile manipulation found in the quadruped and biped robots previously built. Most of the Boston Dynamics robot details were not disclosed except for some papers on BigDog [84–86].