MIT’s newest robot, the Cheetah 3, is unlike any of its predecessors, as it can now easily leap, gallop across rough terrain, and even climb a staircase littered with debris. When suddenly yanked or shoved, it can quickly recover its balance, all the while essentially blind, thanks to new vision-free algorithms.
Its innovative contact detection algorithm helps the robot determine the best time to transition between a leg between swing and step by constantly calculating for each leg three probabilities: the probability of a leg making contact with the ground, the force generated once the leg hits the ground, and that the leg will be in mid-swing. The algorithm calculates this data based on data from gyroscopes, accelerometers, and joint positions of the legs, which record the leg’s angle and height with respect to the ground.
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