STriDER, a three-legged walking robot. In a short article, New Scientist reports that researchers at Virginia Tech University have developed a tripedal experimental robot. With its three legs, this robot, named STriDER — short for ‘Self-excited Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot’ — is actually more stable than 2- or 4-legged robots. As said another researcher, ‘It’s like a biped with a walking stick.’ This robot is intended to deploy sensors and cameras in difficult-to-access areas. STriDER has been developed under the supervision of Dennis Hong, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech and director of the Robotics and mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa). You can see above the various components of this robot. (Credit: Virginia Tech University) Here is how New Scientist describes STriDER’s gait. “To take a step forwards, the robot shifts its weight onto two of its legs, allowing itself to fall forwards away from the third leg. Its body then flips upside-down and the third leg swings up between the other two just in time to catch the ground and return STriDER to a stable tripod stance. To change direction, the robot simply switches its choice of swinging leg. Although STriDER’s body shape is like nothing in nature, its gait is meant to closely mimic the way biological organisms walk. The aim is to minimise the complexity of controlling each limb, and to reduce overall energy use.”
http://robociencia.com/strider-y-la-dinamica-pasiva-en-la-robotica/
http://www.romela.org/main/STriDER:_Self-excited_Tripedal_Dynamic_Experimental_Robot