Robot Taught to Mimic Pendulum-like Ledge Escape Technique of Cockroaches and Geckos

Posted on June 7, 2012

Researchers at UC Berkeley's PolyPEDAL Lab have trained their hexapod robot, named Dash, to make sudden seemingly impossible turns on ledges. The robot swings like a pendulum on the edge of a ledge to turn upside down and continue running underneath the ledge instead of plunging off the side. Cockroaches and geckos can both execute these ledge flips. The researchers taught the robot to make the acrobatic movie after first observing the escape technique used by roaches and geckos. This video shows a cockroach, gecko and the robot making the ledge pendulum swing. Take a look:

You can find more about the research here in PLoS One.

ROBOTS
COCKROACHCES