"Roadrunner": a bipedal, wheeled robot for multi-modal locomotion [video]

I realized how much I was anthropomorphizing the thing when it reversed its knees and I winced.

I wonder whether the extra weight of a third, retractable/foldable leg would negate the power savings that could accrue from being able to switch to 3-wheeled mode when appropriate (thereby allowing the gyro to be spun down).

In a word: wow. That demo just kept getting better and better.

Ah, yes. The Metal Gear Mk.II Thank you, kojima

Scale this up a bit and I could see it working as an urban courier.

Cool format.

Very impressive! I’ve not seen this configuration before.

I want this thing to have flailing hands and shouting 'weeee'

Cool! Does anyone have a list of challenges that must be tackled before such humanoid robots become usable for tasks such as household chores, cooking etc?

Honestly impressed! While humanoid legs are an interesting challenge from a technical point of view, there are plenty of examples in nature (roadrunners) and tech (anything with wheels) that are more efficient and practical.

Really cool. But when will we actually start to see any robotics products out there in real life? Walking robots have been a thing for what 50 years now? And they are still nowhere to be seen beside techdemos. Boston Dynamics' Bigdog is 20 years ago, and beside those semi-useless dog drones from china, we are nowhere close to general service walking robots in our lives. I'm getting impatient.

What are the advantages to this compared to something more stable like 3 or 4 wheels that can’t just fall over?

So between AI and robots that can do this, humans are basically done right? I am going to bed.

thought it was pretty cool. then it balanced on one leg. insane.