Research report 2024 - Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart site
Artificial muscles propel a robotic leg to walk and jump
Authors
Fukushima, Toshihiko; Buchner, Thomas; Kazemipour, Amirhossein; Gravert, Stephan-Daniel; Prairie, Manon; Romanescu, Pascal; Arm, Philip; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Xingrui; Zhang, Steven L.; Walter, Johannes; Keplinger, Christoph; Katzschmann, Robert K.
Departments
Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, Abteilung für Robotik-Materialien am Standort Stuttgart und Soft Robotics Lab der ETH Zürich
Summary
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and ETH Zurich equipped a robotic leg with artificial, electro-hydraulically operated muscles. Inspired by living creatures, the leg automatically adapts to uneven terrain. The system is more energy-efficient than robotic legs equipped with conventional electric motors: the leg can jump and move quickly – without the need for complex sensors that require computing power. Artificial muscles are still a young field of research. However, roboticists see great potential for future applications.