MABEL
Boom constrained biped at Michigan that used springs in series with its motors to run at 3.06 m/s, a record for a robot with knees.
| Maker | University of Michigan with Carnegie Mellon University |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| First shown | 2009 |
| Status | Retired |
| Mass | 65 kg |
| Top speed | 3.06 m/s (11 km/h) |
| Actuation | Electric motors with cable differentials and series springs |
| Autonomy | Hybrid zero dynamics feedback control, boom constrained to the sagittal plane |
MABEL weighs about 65 kg with most of its mass in the torso, and each hip and knee is driven by two motors through a cable differential with a spring in series, so the springs store and return energy during running. Jessy Grizzle's group controlled it with hybrid zero dynamics, an analytical method that stabilises a whole periodic gait instead of tracking a fixed trajectory. In August 2011 it ran at 3.06 m/s with a flight phase covering roughly a quarter of each stride, and it also walked over uneven ground and up a coarse ramp.
Of note
- Ran at 3.06 m/s in 2011, then the fastest for a knee equipped biped
- Main experimental test bed for hybrid zero dynamics control
Maker: umich.edu