Max Planck Institute BirdBot Bird Robot
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and University of California, Irvine scientists teamed up to develop BirdBot, a robot leg that is not only energy-efficient, but needs fewer motors and theoretically, could be scaled to a large size. It was modeled after a flightless bird, or more specifically, the ostrich, and there is no motor in the foot, just a spring / cable mechanism.



When BirdBot is standing, no energy expenditure is required, but on a treadmill it can start running in an instant. With each leg swing, the foot disengages the spring, easily transitioning between states using a sensor to send a signal to a controller, which turns the robot’s motors on and off. Theoretically, BirdBot could be scaled up to the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex or even meter-high legs that can be implemented to carry robots with the weight of several tons, all with little power input.

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Max Planck Institute BirdBot Bird Robot

The foot and leg joints don’t need actuation in the stance phase. Springs power these joints, and the multi-joint spring-tendon mechanism coordinates joint movements. When the leg is pulled into swing phase, the foot disengages the leg’s spring – or the muscle-tendon spring, as we believe it happens in animals,” said Alborz Aghamaleki, Sarvestani Ph.D. Student.

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