3 ms·

Is the hardware really that much of a problem ? It seems like the Boston Dynamics robots are already very far along on the mechanical aspects. I've also seen

by tgflynn 11y ago

Is the hardware really that much of a problem ? It seems like the Boston Dynamics robots are already very far along on the mechanical aspects. I've also seen videos of industrial robots which appear to work with greater speed and agility than humans. My impression is that solving the control problem robustly and rapidly is a bigger obstacle than mechanical limitations. I do see the power source as being an issue. Many of the most impressive robots are tethered, but even a tethered humanoid robot could be extremely useful.

sbierwagen 11y ago
BigDog uses hydraulic actuators, and is powered by a two stroke gasoline engine. Not so good indoors. Stationary industrial robots, the only real success story of robotics, have great speed and power, at the cost of incredible weight and power consumption. Consider the Motoman EPX2050. http://www.motoman.com/datasheets/EPX2050.pdf http://www.motoman.com/datasheets/EPX2050.pdf 15Kg payload, pretty okay, (Try holding a 15Kg weight at arm-length) but it masses 540Kg and has a rated power consumption of 5KW. (Three-phase power, of course) And that's just the arm! The NX100-FM controller it's specced with masses another 120Kg. Mobile robots hate weight. Cutting weight forces a lot of other compromises, in speed, power, and cost.
- tgflynn 11y ago
  What about Atlas ? http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html EDIT: Also for the Motoman, is it possible it needs so much power because of how fast it can move that 15 kg mass around ? There's no beating conservation of energy.
  - xanderstrike 11y ago
    > Atlas is powered from an off-board, electric power supply via a flexible tether. There's your problem right here. The video demo shows it walking freely, but I bet it can only do that for short stints.
bitL 11y ago
If you studied robotics, you'd have learned that some walking/running problems are easier to solve when you have an engine with "unlimited" short-term torque. Low-powered electric actuators are very bad, hence BD uses gasoline engines to provide that short spike necessary for some differential equations to have a nice solution (e.g. one without power-pumping or without needing a few cycles around to reach your desired state).

by tgflynn 11y ago

sbierwagen 11y ago

BigDog uses hydraulic actuators, and is powered by a two stroke gasoline engine. Not so good indoors. Stationary industrial robots, the only real success story of robotics, have great speed and power, at the cost of incredible weight and power consumption. Consider the Motoman EPX2050. http://www.motoman.com/datasheets/EPX2050.pdf http://www.motoman.com/datasheets/EPX2050.pdf 15Kg payload, pretty okay, (Try holding a 15Kg weight at arm-length) but it masses 540Kg and has a rated power consumption of 5KW. (Three-phase power, of course) And that's just the arm! The NX100-FM controller it's specced with masses another 120Kg. Mobile robots hate weight. Cutting weight forces a lot of other compromises, in speed, power, and cost.

tgflynn 11y ago
What about Atlas ? http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html EDIT: Also for the Motoman, is it possible it needs so much power because of how fast it can move that 15 kg mass around ? There's no beating conservation of energy.
- xanderstrike 11y ago
  > Atlas is powered from an off-board, electric power supply via a flexible tether. There's your problem right here. The video demo shows it walking freely, but I bet it can only do that for short stints.

bitL 11y ago

If you studied robotics, you'd have learned that some walking/running problems are easier to solve when you have an engine with "unlimited" short-term torque. Low-powered electric actuators are very bad, hence BD uses gasoline engines to provide that short spike necessary for some differential equations to have a nice solution (e.g. one without power-pumping or without needing a few cycles around to reach your desired state).