The domain of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has kept its stride in innovating robots for the past 70 years. In a recent breakthrough, researchers have moved beyond the conventional motorized robots, presenting a new robotic leg powered by artificial muscles. The energy-efficient leg boosts agility akin to living creatures, capable of performing high jumps and reacting to obstacles sans the need for complex sensors.
Up until now, all machines, factory or otherwise, have been functional with a power source dating back 200 years - motors. Even human-like walking robots have motorized arms and legs. This could be why they don't possess the adaptability and mobility of living beings.
Jointly developed by a team from ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS), the new robotic leg stems from a research partnership known as the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS). The team spearheaded by Robert Katzschmann at ETH Zurich and Christoph Keplinger at MPI-IS worked closely on the creation that has been detailed in their publication on an animal-inspired musculoskeletal robotic leg in Nature Communications.
The novel muscle-powered robotic leg integrates extensor and flexor muscles like in humans and animals, allowing for movement in both directions. These muscles are actually electro-hydraulic actuators termed as HASELs, which are bound to the skeleton via tendons. These actuators are oil-filled plastic bags analogous to ice cube bags, with one side coated with a conductive material forming a black electrode.
The artificial muscles outperform conventional electric motors in terms of energy efficiency. Advanced features like the ability to perform high jumps and adapt to uneven terrains further highlight the technology's superiority. Moreover, the absence of heat generated from unnecessary energy conversion makes the system more efficient than electric motors, thereby negating the need for heat management systems.
The potential of electro-hydraulic actuators is nascent, having emerged in just the recent six years but the field carries an immense potential for disruptive innovation. It introduces unique hardware concepts like the artificial muscles seen here. These advantages of electro-hydraulic actuators are particularly significant in custom applications such as grippers where movements need to be highly maneuverable.
While there are limitations, as strides in robot locomotion are still in development, future potential remains immense. The current model being tethered to a rod and limited to jumping in circles indicates the need for further developments in the creation of fully autonomous walking robots. Once surmounted, the potential applications might extend to deploying such robots for rescue scenarios when powered by a battery.
Disclaimer: The above article was written with the assistance of AI. The original sources can be found on ScienceDaily.
