PETMAN
What’s the first thing you notice about an object in motion? You notice how it moves. A person on a Segway might be the same height as a person on foot, but you’d never mistake the two. And you can probably spot your spouse or parent at a distance from the unique way they walk.
If humanoid robots are to gain acceptance in society, they’ll have to move like humans do. So PETMAN, a new prototype from Boston Dynamics that walks, marks a huge advance in humanoid robotics. We believe it is the most advanced bipedal model ever shown in the United States.
PETMAN is being developed for the U.S. Army to test chemical suits in hazardous environments (though at least one blogger wonders if that’s not just a cover story).
This video from Boston Dynamics (developers of the “Big Dog” quadruped robot) shows PETMAN, which is just a torso and legs for now, walking with a heel-to-toe motion at 3.2 mph. PETMAN is able to stay balanced despite absorbing a shove from a burly technician.
“Natural, agile movement is essential for PETMAN to simulate how a soldier stresses protective clothing under realistic conditions,” says the Boston Dynamics website.
They point out that only natural human motion could replicate the stresses on a piece of clothing. PETMAN will also “emulate human physiology within the protective suit by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating when necessary.”
PETMAN would not be the world’s first sweating robot. Another recent robot prototype perspires as well — the “swine flu robot” unveiled at a Tokyo trade show earlier this month.
The humanoid robot sweats, groans, moans and cries just like a real H1N1 patient would. If not given proper treatment, such as fluids, it eventually stops breathing. The goal is to train health professionals and other first responders how to treat H1N1 patients.
Challenging environments can come from biological sources, like swine flu, or from chemical ones, like a WMD attack. The inherent limitations of the human body may prevent us from dealing with these situations. Humanoid robots can help.
Tags: Big Dog, bipedal, Boston Dynamics, H1N1, humanoid, humanoid robots, PETMAN, swine flu, swine flu robot, U.S. Army
