New robot can sense damage, compensate

WASHINGTON - When people hurt a leg they can often make do by limping or using a crutch until they feel better. Now, there's a robot that can also cope with injury.

The ability to compensate can be vital in new or dangerous situations where unexpected damage or injury can occur.

Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., built a four-legged robot that can sense damage to its body and figure out how to adjust and keep going. They report the development in

Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Most robots are used in industrial applications where their environment never changes, explained Hod Lipson, a co-author of the paper. If they are to become useful outdoors or at home they need to be able to cope with changes, he said.

The robot has tilt sensors and angle sensors in each of its joints and uses the readings from these devices to create a computer model of its own structure and movement. When the sensors indicate a change, it can then alter the model to compensate.

While most robots operate using a computer model they have been programmed with, this one develops its own model by analyzing how its parts respond to commands to move.
That allows it to change its own program if something occurs that it didn't expect.

New Robot