BISAM
Mammal-like four-legged walking machine from Karlsruhe, built to study adaptive gait control with an articulated trunk.
| Maker | FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| First shown | 1997 |
| Status | Retired |
| Actuation | Electric motors with gear drives |
| Power | External electrical supply |
| Autonomy | Layered reflex and gait selection controller |
BISAM followed the body plan of small mammals, with four legs and a jointed trunk that helped it shift weight while walking. Electric motors drove the joints and a layered controller combined reflex like reactions with higher level gait selection so the machine could cross uneven ground. It served as a testbed for biologically inspired control in the German legged locomotion community of the late 1990s.
Of note
- Used an actuated spine as well as four legs, unusual for the period
- Part of the wave of biologically inspired walking machines built in Germany in the 1990s
Maker: www.fzi.de