This robot 'dog' can climb ladders, a first for four-legged robots
The robot weighs in at just over 15 pounds, and is equipped with 3D cameras on its head and touch and force sensors on its claws.
The robot has 23 degrees of freedom — specific aspects of its parts can move: five degrees of freedom in each leg, two for the dual laser rangefinder sensors, and one for the head.
The robot uses a neural network to automatically teach itself to balance as it climbs the ladder.
Once at the top of the ladder, the robot uses its rear claws to grip the top rung and shift its weight forward.
The robot was specifically programmed to climb the ladder used in the demonstration video, but researchers plan to teach it to climb a ladder of any dimensions.
While living quadruped animals can climb ladders at an angle, they struggle with vertical ladders, according to IEE Spectrum — but this robot is capable of tackling them.
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