RHex is definitely not one of the newest robots on the block, at least we have talked about it all the way back in 2007, where back then, this robot from Boston Dynamics was definitely not as refined as the bad boy that you can check out in the video above. In fact, just last year, we also talked about the RHex Lite that comes with a tail – and that tail is not vestigial, since it has the purpose of providing necessary and relevant balance to the robot when it moves. Well, the video of RHex in action above is one that is the result of a project by Aaron Johnson and Daniel Koditschek, where it was specially designed to traverse through rough terrain.
It is capable of doing so thanks to the activation of its legs in different sequences, where other athletic moves include executing double jumps, flips, and, thanks to a bunch of different combo moves, perform even pull-ups. Should it run into tall obstacles, RHex has the smarts to launch itself vertically, followed by hooking its front legs on the edge of the object, before it drags its body up and over. Good thing there is no such thing as lactic acid build up to make the RHex exhausted from its acrobatic efforts.
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