Despite decades of technological advances, robots still cannot match the speed and agility of animals. A new study analyzes the reason for this discrepancy.
Technological advances in robotics have been astonishing in recent years, with machines capable of performing feats once reserved for science fiction.
However, despite these advances, the question remains: can robots do this? It rivals the strength and agility of living organismsEspecially in specific fields like racing?
The world's fastest bipedal robot is no faster than a crab
In a recent study, a team of engineers from the United States and Canada set out to answer this question. The answer is very clear: no. Their conclusion was published April 24, 2024 in the journal Scientific robotics, unequivocally. In almost all cases, biological creatures, such as cheetahs, cockroaches and even humans, appear to be able to outperform their robotic counterparts.
robot Unitree Evolution V3, A robotic creature with a humanoid structure The fastest in the world, it recently broke the speed record for a bipedal robot. Despite holding the title of world champion, he is only as fast as a crab, reaching speeds of 11 km/h, while four-legged robots can now reach 45 km/h. Although these performances are indeed impressive, they are still well below the speed reached at 120 km/h Panthers.
Read alsoCheetah, the super-fast robot, no longer has a wire on his paw
The researchers noted that animals outperform robots in three key aspects of speed performance: agility, endurance, and strength.
Despite technical advances that allow legged robots to try to compete in speed, jumping and maneuverability, animals still retain a clear advantage. The performance gap widens further when working on irregular terrain.
When it comes to stamina, the robots aren't completely dropped. againstSome robots have excellent autonomy, for example, the Ranger robot traveled a distance of 65 km […]
Read more at sciencesetavenir.fr
