Legged Robots

Cassie completed the 5K at the Oregon State University campus in just over 53 minutes on a single battery charge.

Engineers use a few different techniques that employed both Spot’s Choreographer software and its API to make Spot dance.

The base policy and adaptation module are run asynchronously and at different frequencies, which allows RMA to operate robustly with only a small onboard computer.

U.S. Army findings suggest human-made legged platforms should be as efficient as wheeled and tracked platforms.

The robot uses a camera to see how rough the terrain is, and it uses sensors in the legs to feel how hard the walking surface is.

This quadruped developed at UCSD relies on a series of valves that open and close in a specific sequence to walk.

We’ve learned a lot over the last month about how Boston Dynamics’ robots became such talented dancers. We now know the RBR50 company employed human dancers, reflexive control, simulation and new Choreographer software, among many other techniques. But we’ve yet to hear from Marc Raibert, founder, former CEO, and now chairman of Boston Dynamics. Until…

Researchers are embracing chaos and nonlinear physics to create insectlike gaits for tiny robots — complete with a locomotion controller to provide a brain-machine interface. The group now describes using a system of three nonlinear differential equations as a building block for central pattern generators.

It’s official. Hyundai Motor Corp announced this morning it is acquiring a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics for about $880 million. Hyundai Motor will own 80% of Boston Dynamics, while a Softbank affiliate will retain the other 20%. The final numbers are a bit different than our initial reporting, but the deal values Boston Dynamics…

Update at 1 PM EST on Dec. 11, 2020: Hyundai Motor Group announced this morning it is acquiring 80% of Boston Dynamics for $880 million. Read Story. Hyundai Motor will acquire Boston Dynamics. The acquisition will be finalized at Hyundai’s December 10 board meeting. News about the deal was first reported by The Korea Economic Daily,…

ANYbotics, the Swiss developer of the ANYmal quadruped, closed a $22.3 million Series A round today. ANYmal is designed for a number of industrial applications, including inspection, and the funding will help ANYbotics scale the business. ANYmal C, the company’s third-generation quadruped, is able to perform tasks with a high degree of autonomy in dynamic…

Percepto, an Israel-based developer of drones for monitoring and analyzing industrial sites, raised $45 million in Series B funding and partnered with RBR50 company Boston Dynamics. The Series B funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, brings Percepto’s total funding to date to $72.5 million. With the funding, Percepto is launching its Autonomous Inspection & Monitoring…

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot, which went on sale for $74,500 in June, has found early success working in the construction industry. The RBR50 company recently announced a partnership with Trimble to expand Spot’s capabilities within the construction industry. As part of Boston Dynamics’ Early Adopter Program, Foster + Partners, a London-based architectural design and engineering…

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is expanding to its resume every day, and the quadruped can add nuclear power plant exploration and radiation monitoring to the list. Engineers from the University of Bristol recently tested Spot around the Exclusion Zone territory of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Exclusion Zone covers approximately a 1,000-square-mile area in…

Boston Dynamics will integrate Trimble’s data collection sensors and field control software on Spot to automate site scans and surveying.

RBR50 company Agility Robotics, a leading developer of bipedal robots, has raised $20 million in Series A funding. The funding will help the Albany, Ore.-based company to scale its operation and production of the Digit humanoid, which started shipping to customers in July 2020. The Series A was co-led by DCVC and Playground Global and…

It’s been quite a busy day for Boston Dynamics‘ Spot robot. Thanks to Clearpath Robotics, the Robot Operating System (ROS) now supports the famous quadruped robot. And now Boston Dynamics is opening up sales of its Spot robot to new parts of the world. The RBR50 company announced today the Spot robot is now available…

Welcome to Episode 11 of The Robot Report Podcast, which brings conversations with robotics innovators straight to you. Join us every Wednesday for discussions with leading roboticists, innovative robotics companies, and other key members of the robotics community. Listeners can subscribe to The Robot Report Podcast on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Play and YouTube. Please…

The editors of The Robot Report were among the first civilians to tele-operate Boston Dynamics’ Spot, controlling the quadruped robot with Formant’s software across the U.S.

Two Spot robots from RBR50 company Boston Dynamics will soon help Ford survey its Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. Starting in August, the Spot robots, which Ford nicknamed Fluffy and Spot, will scan the plant floor and assist engineers in updating the original CAD model of the plant, which is used when Ford…

ANYbotics’ ANYmal C is a multi-module machine designed to handle varied terrain. The company’s executives explain the computing architecture enabling the quadruped robot’s motion and missions.

Nine months after the limited release of its Spot, Boston Dynamics today made the quadruped robot commercially available in the U.S. for $74,500.