MIT Quadruped
Also known as MIT Leg Laboratory Quadruped
Hydraulic running quadruped from Marc Raibert's MIT Leg Laboratory that trotted, paced and bounded using a decomposed balance controller.
| Maker | MIT Leg Laboratory |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| First shown | 1984 |
| Status | Retired |
| Actuation | Hydraulic telescoping legs |
| Power | Off-board hydraulic supply through a tether |
| Autonomy | Off-board computer running decomposed balance control |
The machine had four telescoping legs with hydraulic actuators and ran on a tether that supplied hydraulic power and computing. Control was split into separate parts for hopping height, forward speed and body attitude, an approach Raibert had already proven on one-legged hoppers. It ran on a treadmill and an indoor track and switched between trot, pace and bound, results that underpinned the dynamic quadrupeds built decades later.
Of note
- Demonstrated trot, pace and bound gaits with active balance on a machine that ran rather than walked
- Marc Raibert, who led the work, founded Boston Dynamics in 1992
Maker: www.mit.edu