back to article German engineers demo ROBOT APE

Balance is relatively easy for humans because we spent millennia evolving into walking upright, but it's difficult for robotics researchers. Researchers at the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence have decided to skip bipedism in favour of a robot that walks like an ape. The 18 kg robot, dubbed iStruct by its …

COMMENTS

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  1. Captain DaFt

    Well at least they put a head on this one.

    Now the Martians'll know which end to threaten!

  2. Esskay
    Terminator

    "artificial crater"

    Sounds a lot like a hollowed out volcano to me...

    Skullduggery is afoot...

  3. Pete the not so great
    Thumb Up

    Does it do...

    The Balmer?

  4. Eddy Ito
    Pint

    "The 18 kg robot..."

    I for one say thank goodness for that. Had it been 300 kg and seeing no tether, it would have been worrisome even with half the strength of a similarly sized ape. Now then, how about a nice video on really challenging terrain.

    1. Evil Auditor Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: "The 18 kg robot..."

      Na, the worrisome bit would be if it could get agitated like apes do and had had the tools to simmer down like apes do, i.e. humping whatever is available.

  5. Anomalous Cowshed

    Ze Robot...

    EEt iz anstoppabel, hahaha. Finally, Ve are back in ze Bizness, and Ve are coming zu get You verever You are, even if You climb up ze Tree or down ze Krater. You are up Sheiss Kreek, Inglish and American PigDogs!

  6. Evil Auditor Silver badge
    Stop

    i

    Can we please stop with all those i prefixes. Thank you.

    1. Grave

      Re: i

      iDiots

      how long will it take crApple to change its name to ipple haha

    2. Dr Patrick J R Harkin

      Re: i

      Agreed. iCan'ttakemuchmore.

    3. Graham Marsden
      Coat

      Re: i

      iAgree

  7. jungle_jim

    But can it

    fling fæces ?

  8. Cameron Colley

    Needs more monolith.

    Possibly a pile of parts also.

  9. Gordo Rex
    Trollface

    Good to see...

    that someone is re-using the set where they shot all the Apollo "moon" scenes.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A metal gorilla

    For when a 7ft tall 400lb real ape just isn't enough.

  11. Graham Marsden
    Happy

    Can I just say....

    ... Oook!

  12. d3rrial
    Meh

    Useless?

    Why are we trying to imitate nature? I get that nature had a pretty long time of figuring out solutions that work and solutions that don't, but I doubt that there are no more efficient means of traversing diverse terrains... Some engineers have to sit down and come up with the most efficient way of movement, that works on most different terrains (which does exclude standalone wheels btw.). Bro-tip: Flying is PRETTY efficient. Anything that conserves inertia is also very good, for example kangaroos can move very energy efficient...

    1. jungle_jim

      Re: Useless?

      Are you proposing a robotic kangaroo?

    2. Steve Todd
      Stop

      Re: Useless?

      Because working out how to control and synchronise all of those servos and sensors is obviously trivial and has no other practical application?

      This is research, working out what can be done and how. What that technology ends up in may be completely different, but the research is non the less useful.

  13. Colin Brett
    Joke

    Missing from the end of the video

    The gorillabot sits down and starts picking fleas off its programmer :-)

    Colin

  14. Bigbadbod

    Its Gore!!

    Can't believe nobody noticed it looks like a prototype of Gore from Zoids!!

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gore,+zoids&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SovNUYKFI-Kw0AWxnYHYBQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=785

  15. StereoStokey
    Devil

    Mini AT-AT?

    Make it bigger, put some armor and laser cannons on it, and we're done!

  16. RonWheeler
    Windows

    Can it

    climb skyscrapers with a woman in hand and swat at planes?

  17. Neoc

    "...dubbed iStruct by its creators..."

    iStruct? iStrut, surely.

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