Battlefield Extraction and Retrieval Robot (BEAR)

Battlefield Extraction and Retrieval Robot (BEAR)


Country: USA
Manufacturer: Vecna
Year: 2006
Webpage Info



The BEAR robot is Vecna Robotics' flagship program. Designed to find, pick up and rescue people in harm's way, the humanoid BEAR robot can do what humans can't: Lift heavy loads and carry them long distances. Whether on a battlefield, in a nuclear reactor core, near a toxic chemical spill, or inside a structurally-compromised building after an earthquake, the BEAR can rescue those in need as well as or better than humans can, without risking additional human life.

The BEAR robot's patent-pending technology is a marriage of three elements: A powerful upper body controlled by hydraulics; an agile mobility platform that features two independent sets of tracked "legs"; and dynamic balancing behavior, or DBB. DBB is the capability of the robot to balance itself while on the balls of its "ankles", allowing it to stand upright while fully extended. In fact, the BEAR will be able to remain upright whether balancing on its ankles, its knees, or even its hips.

The BEAR is currently in proof-of-concept development stage. A prototype of the BEAR robot has been built and outfitted with a powerful torso and arms, together with a dynamic balancing system on two wheels. Together, the robot prototype has been able to demonstrate picking up a fully-weighted human dummy, and carrying the dummy around in its arms while dynamically balanced in an upright position for over 50 minutes without break. The tracked mobility system is currently in development.

2D Planar One-Leg Hopper

Country: USA
Manufacturer: MIT
Year: 1980
Webpage Info

The Planar One-Leg Hopper was MITs first Leg Lab robot. It was built to explore active balance and dynamic stability in legged locomotion. The machine has one leg that changes length and pivots with respect to the body. The body carries sensors, interface electronics, and the hip actuators. The machine was powered by pneumatics.

Experiments with the Planar One-Leg Hopper showed that balance could be achieved with a simple control system. The control system has three separate parts: one controlling forward running speed, one controlling body attitude, and one controlling hopping height. These controllers worked independently, treating any coupling as disturbances. The control system for the Planar One-Leg Hopper did not explicitly program a stepping motion, but allowed the stepping motion to emerge under the constraints of balance and controlled travel. The Planar One-Leg Hopper hopped in place, traveled at specified rates, and maintained balance when disturbed. The simple techniques used for planar one-leg hopper were later generalized for 3D one-leg hopping, bipedal running, and quadruped trotting, pacing, and bounding.