Professor Atsuo Takanishi of Waseda University's Faculty of Creative Science and Engineering, Assistant Professor Kenji Hashimoto of the Institute of Advanced Studies, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (President Shunichi Miyanaga, Tokyo), a major machine maker, have joined the platform "WAREC-4", a legged robot that can walk with four or two legs. Was developed.

 According to the Japan Science and Technology Agency, WAREC-1 is a four-legged robot with a height of 4 cm and a weight of 2 kg when standing up with two legs.It is designed not only to walk up and down a vertical ladder, but also to walk with four or two legs, and to move with the torso grounded on the stomach.

 For the motor of the drive part, we adopted a frameless motor that can be made smaller and lighter, and the wiring is stored inside the hollow structure.At this stage, it is necessary to supply power from the outside, but in the future it will be equipped with a battery.In addition, we will promote the installation of image and sound processing technology and remote control systems.

 At the disaster site, you have to move on debris where there is a risk of collapse, but when moving with 4 or 2 legs, it is necessary to accurately measure the shape of the road surface with a visual sensor, and it is possible for the road surface to collapse. It was difficult to walk in a sexual environment. Since the center of gravity of four-legged or two-legged walking is high, it was difficult to completely prevent a fall even if the road surface condition was accurately grasped.

 This joint research was carried out in the ImPACT Tough Robotics Challenge Project of the Cabinet Office with the aim of developing a robot that can operate in an environment where the situation at the site such as a disaster is not well understood.

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