Italian engineers unveil four-legged Centauro robot that could play role in disaster relief work

The robot, modelled on the mythical centaur, has been developed by researchers at the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology), in the hope that it may one day play a vital role in disaster relief efforts. Like the fabled creature, it has a humanoid-like upper section with two arms able to manipulate and move objects, while the quadrupedal lower half is capable of robust locomotion on uneven terrain. Standing 1.5 metres tall and weighing in at 93 kgs, the anthropomorphic Centauro is designed to work in man-made environments and manipulate human tools, though with much greater strength. Its hybrid system combines legged and wheeled mobility, enabling it to navigate in a range of environments. This includes typical human infrastructures, narrow doors and corridors, and even stairs.