Robot Parkour

A few months ago, I published a post about all terrain robots designed with 3D printed legs. Aaron Johnson and Daniel Koditschek from the University of Pennsylvania have used a similar design but gone one better. Their version, the RHex, can hop and leap. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the RHex in action:

RHex is short for ‘robot hexapod’. Depending on how its six legs are activated, the RHex can jump, flip, and even do pull ups (what the scientists refer to as ‘robot Parkour’. The researchers envision someday sending similar robots out into the field to provide surveillance and assistance.

Aaron M. Johnson & D. E. Koditsch (2013). Toward a Vocabulary of Legged Leaping IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.