It's commonplace for robots to walk on legs or roll on wheels while drones use propellers to fly, but the 'LEO' robot has been developed to make use of multiple modes of transportation to maximize capabilities.
Developed by a team of researchers at Caltech, the robot features a bipedal design that is capable of easily balancing during its walking operation. The robot is paired with propellers to help it easily take to the sky when it encounters a terrain it can't cross or to simply expedite its ability to get to locations.
The 'LEO' robot -- which stands for 'LEgs ONboARD drOne' -- was explained further by the researchers who said, "The point of LEO is to give unprecedented walking ability and to solve problems posed by hybrid locomotion. LEO is capable of many tricks: tight-rope walking, stair flying, and skateboard riding. LEO is helping engineers rethink how robots could move in the future and could open difficult environments to robotic exploration.”
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Hybrid Locomotion Robots
- Integrating multiple modes of transportation in robots to increase capabilities.
- Bipedal Designs
- Creating robots with bipedal designs that can easily balance during walking operation.
- Terrain-adaptive Robotics
- Developing robots to adapt to varying terrains through the integration of multiple types of movement.
Where This Applies
- Robotics Industry
- The robotics industry can innovate by incorporating multiple modes of transportation for their robots.
- Agriculture Industry
- Developing terrain-adaptive robots can benefit the agriculture Industry in being able to navigate difficult landscapes.
- Emergency Services Industry
- Creating bipedal robots that can walk and fly can greatly benefit emergency services in situations with difficult terrain.
