Page 152 - Toucpad robotics C11

Legged (Walking) Robots

Description
Robots that use legs (two, four, six, or more) to walk. They mimic
animal locomotion.
Advantages
Can navigate very challenging and uneven terrain, climb stairs,
step over obstacles, and operate in environments where wheels
would fail.
Disadvantages
Mechanically complex, higher power consumption (especially for dynamic balancing), slower speeds, more complex
control algorithms for stable walking.

Example
Humanoid robots (two legs), quadruped robots (four legs, like “Spot” from Boston Dynamics), hexapod robots
(six legs).

The Runaway Robot
It was a chilly afternoon in Japan when a children’s robot, left unsupervised in a shopping
mall, was ambushed by a gang of kids. Instead of fighting back, the robot employed a clever
trick—it scanned for tall adults, darted toward them for safety, and escaped being pelted
with candy and kicked by tiny sneakers. Engineers later programmed an “abuse-evasion”
system based on this wild day.
actual funny
incidents Learning: Robots sometimes need to be protected from humans, not the other way around.

Tracked Robots (Crawler-Type)
Description

Use continuous tracks (like a military tank) for movement.

Advantages
Excellent traction on loose or uneven surfaces (sand, gravel, mud), good for climbing
over small obstacles, highly stable.
Disadvantages
Slower speed, less energy efficient on hard surfaces due to high friction, can damage
delicate surfaces.

Example
Exploration robots for rough terrains, military robots, some search and rescue robots.

Aerial Robots (Drones)

Description
Robots designed for flight, typically using propellers (multi-rotors
like quadcopters) or fixed wings (will be discussed much in detail in
next topic).

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