In science fiction, robots that walk like human beings are common, but in real life they're not so easy to make. Nevertheless, researchers at Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Holland's Delft University of Technology have built robots that closely mimic the human gait. The researchers describe their new robots in the February 18th issue of the journal Science. Andy Ruina of Cornell University explains:
"What we found is that sticks and hinges connected the right way walk in a very natural way, so as a measure of our understanding, I think we have a robot that moves in a more naturally than any other robot, which means perhaps that we have a deeper understanding of how people move."
Most importantly, the researchers say, the robots provide a realistic model of how humans walk. Using robots, they hope to develop better rehabilitation techniques and improved devices for individuals with leg injuries.
CLICK HERE to download a transcript of this story:
https://www.cpwire.com/click.asp?feature=https://216.86.33.66/robots.doc
CLICK HERE to download a multimedia (MP3) file of this story:
https://www.cpwire.com/click.asp?feature=https://216.86.33.66/robots.mp3
