MIT ‘cheetah’ robot rivals running animals in efficiency Robot’s
custom-designed electric motors are powerful and
efficient.CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A 70-pound “cheetah” robot designed
by MIT researchers may soon outpace its animal counterparts in
running efficiency: In treadmill tests, the researchers have
found that the robot — about the size and weight of an actual
cheetah — wastes very little energy as it trots continuously for
up to an hour and a half at 5 mph. The key to the robot’s
streamlined stride: lightweight electric motors, set into its
shoulders, that produce high torque with very little heat
wasted. The motors can be programmed to quickly adjust the
robot’s leg stiffness and damping ratio — or cushioning — in
response to outside forces such as a push, or a change in
terrain. The researchers will present the efficiency results and
design principles for their electric motor at the International
Conference on Robotics and Automation in May. Sangbae Kim, the
Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Assistant Profes