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Bionic robot kangaroo

10.04.2014

The BionicKangaroo robot, created by the German company Festo, is a mechanism 1 m high (in a standing position) and weighing about 7 kg. Among his outstanding abilities is the ability to jump up 40 cm and push off in length by 80 cm.

German engineers decided to take the kangaroo as a basis for several reasons. First of all, thanks to the design, the basis of which was borrowed from the body structure of a real kangaroo, the robot is able to convert the kinetic energy of one jump into another. For this, special springs are used, which are a mechanical analogue of the elastic Achilles tendon. Each landing and subsequent compression of the springs acts like a regenerative braking system in cars, which makes it possible to use the energy received during the landing for the next push.

The idea of creating a robotic mechanism that would copy the habits of animals is being applied with might and main by other companies. It is worth recalling the project of the Cheetah robot, created by the well-known robotics company Boston Dynamics. The mechanical feline model not only achieved a test bench speed record of 45,5 km/h, but was also upgraded to a stand-alone version without power cables. The petrol modification, named WildCat, was successfully tested in the field, although it could not achieve the same speed performance.

Festo's kangaroo robot is powered by small pneumatic compressors. The control of electronic systems is carried out thanks to the battery built into the robotic design. A simplified model of the movement of the device is as follows: in the initial position, the "iron kangaroo" rests on two limbs, which are given additional stability by a mechanical tail as a third point of support. When you need to make a jump, springs come into play, the work of which depends on the supply of compressed air. Then the work is done by small motors on the hips of the animal and the robot leans forward for the next jump. As soon as the required angle is reached to make a push, the accumulated energy is released, turning into mechanical movement.

All parts of the body of a mechanical animal are involved in its movement. The tail of the "animal" acts not only as an additional support at rest, but also assumes the function of balancing the mechanized structure in the horizontal plane. As a result, each subsequent jump of the BionicKangaroo is based on the energy that the robot receives upon landing due to the elasticity of its design.

The list of unique technological solutions does not end there. The kangaroo received gesture control, which can be carried out thanks to the Thalmic Labs Myo Bluetooth bracelet, operating at a distance of up to 50 m. The operator only has to show the necessary command with his hand and the robot will unquestioningly execute it, rushing to the owner of the gadget.

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