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Operating robots precisely and at high speeds has been a long-standing goal of robotics research. Balancing these competing demands is key to enabling the seamless collaboration of robots and humans and increasing task performance. However,…
Stability of running on rough terrain depends on the propagation of perturbations due to the ground. We consider stability within the sagittal plane and model the dynamics of running as a two-dimensional body with an alternating aerial and…
It is well known that animals can use neural and sensory feedback via vision, tactile sensing, and echolocation to negotiate obstacles. Similarly, most robots use deliberate or reactive planning to avoid obstacles, which relies on prior…
In this paper, we study a wheeled robot with a prismatic extension joint. This allows the robot to build up momentum to perform jumps over obstacles and to swing up to the upright position after the loss of balance. We propose a template…
Synthesizing a stable gait that enables a quadruped robot to climb stairs is the focus of this paper. To this end, first a stable transition from initial to desired configuration is made based on the minimum number of steps and maximum use…
Reduced traction limits the ability of mobile robotic systems to resist or apply large external loads, such as tugging a massive payload. One simple and versatile solution is to wrap a tether around naturally occurring objects to leverage…
Archery lends itself to scientific analysis. In this paper we discuss physics laws that relate to the mechanics of bow and arrow, to the shooting process and to the flight of the arrow. In parallel, we describe experiments that address…
In this paper, we consider a general task of jumping varying distances and heights for a quadrupedal robot in noisy environments, such as off of uneven terrain and with variable robot dynamics parameters. To accurately jump in such…
In this paper we show all possible ramps where an object can move with constant speed under the effect of gravity and friction. The planar ramp are very easy to describe, just rotate a curve with velocity vector (tanh(as),sech(as)). Recall…
Theory and computations are provided for building of optimal (minimum weight) solid space towers (mast) up to one hundred kilometers in height. These towers can be used for tourism; scientific observation of space, observation of the Earth…
Quadruped robots are machines intended for challenging and harsh environments. Despite the progress in locomotion strategy, safely recovering from unexpected falls or planned drops is still an open problem. It is further made more difficult…
In classical physics, calculating the slack of a hanging chain is a problem that has attracted interest. This study aims to solve this problem through experiment and theory. When the length and distance of both the ends of a hanging chain…
When a falling chain strikes a surface, it can accelerate downwards faster than free-fall. This counterintuitive effect occurs when a tension is created in the chain above where it strikes the surface. The size of this tension, and how it…
This paper presents the arrangement of an in-pipe climbing robot that works using a clever differential part to explore complex associations of lines. Standard wheeled/continued in-pipe climbing robots are leaned to slip and take while…
A ball rolled over a shallow step will experience an increase in velocity along the direction perpendicular to the step. This causes a deflection in the ball's trajectory. In this paper we derive the equations that describe the motion of a…
Legged robots leverage ground contacts and the reaction forces they provide to achieve agile locomotion. However, uncertainty coupled with contact discontinuities can lead to failure, especially in real-world environments with unexpected…
Thermal soaring saves much energy, but flying large distances in this form represents a great challenge for birds, people and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The solution is to make use of so-called thermals, which are localized, warmer…
The bodies of snakes, such as king cobras, are very soft so that it is nearly impossible for them to raise their heads higher than around one meter. By direct measurement, we were only possible to hold the body of a freshly killed cobra…
Jumping take-off in birds is an explosive behaviour with the goal of providing a rapid transition from ground to airborne locomotion. An effective jump is predicated on the need to maintain dynamic stability through the acceleration phase.…
When an object impacts onto a bed of very loose, fine sand, the drag it experiences depends on the ambient pressure in a surprising way: Drag is found to increase significantly with decreasing pressure. We use a modified penetrometer…