Advances in wearable robotics challenge the traditional definition of human motor systems, as wearable robots redefine body structure, movement capability, and perception of their own bodies. While these devices can empower the wearer's motor performance, there is limited understanding of how wearer s update their perception of body images, especially images in dynamic movements, while learning to use these modern devices. This study aimed to fill the gap by examining the changes of body image as individuals learned to walk with a robotic prosthetic l eg over multi - day training. We measured gait performance and perceived body images via Selected Coefficient of Perceived Motion (SCoMo) after each training session. Based on human motor learning theory extended to wearer - robot systems, w e hypothesized that learning the perceived body image when walking with a robotic leg co - evolves with the actual gait improvement and becomes more certain and more accurate to the actual motion. Our result confirmed that motor learning improved both physical and perceived ga it pattern towards normal, indicating that via practice the wearers incorporated the robotic leg into their sensorimotor systems to enable wearer - robot movement coordination. However, a persistent discrepancy between perceived and actual motion remained, l ikely due to the absence of direct sensation and control of the prosthesis from wearers. Additionally, the perceptual overestimation at the later training sessions might limit further motor improvement. These findings suggest that enhancing the human sense of wearable robots and frequent calibrating perception of body image are essential for effective training with lower limb wearable robots and for developing more embodied assistive technologies.

In biomechanics and robotics, elasticity plays a crucial role in enhancing locomotion efficiency and stability. Traditional approaches in legged robots often employ series elastic actuators (SEA) with discrete rigid components, which, while effective, add weight and complexity. This paper presents an innovative alternative by integrating continuously compliant structures into the lower legs of a bipedal robot, fundamentally transforming the SEA concept. Our approach replaces traditional rigid segments with lightweight, deformable materials, reducing overall mass and simplifying the actuation design. This novel design introduces unique challenges in modeling, sensing, and control, due to the infinite dimensionality of continuously compliant elements. We address these challenges through effective approximations and control strategies. The paper details the design and modeling of the compliant leg structure, presents low-level force and kinematics controllers, and introduces a high-level posture controller with a gait scheduler. Experimental results demonstrate successful bipedal walking using this new design.

It's been 30 years since beloved British duo Wallace and Gromit embarked on probably their best loved adventure in'The Wrong Trousers'. In the classic 1993 stop motion film by Nick Park, Gromit receives a pair of'ex-NASA' robotic techno trousers from Wallace for his birthday. They prove extremely useful when Gromit redecorates his bedroom, but lead to trouble when they fall into the clutches of the villainous penguin, Feathers McGraw. Although for now consigned to the fictional world of the loveable duo, experts think they could be built – and conceivably let a wearer walk on walls and even ceilings. Dr Katie Raymer, a physicist and PhD graduate from the University of Leicester, said a real-life pair would use powerful vacuum suction at the soles, just like in the film. In the classic film, Gromit receives a pair of ex-NASA robotic'techno trousers' from Wallace for his birthday, which allows the wearer to walk on walls and even ceilings.

Robotic legs have bimodal operations: swing phases when the leg needs to move quickly in the air (high-speed, low-force) and stance phases when the leg bears the weight of the system (low-speed, high-force). Sizing a traditional single-ratio actuation system for such extremum operations leads to oversized heavy electric motor and poor energy efficiency, which hinder the capability of legged systems that bear the mass of their actuators and energy source. This paper explores an actuation concept where a hydrostatic transmission is dynamically reconfigured using valves to suit the requirements of each phase of a robotic leg. An analysis of the mass-delay-flow trade-off for the switching valve is presented. Then, a custom actuation system is built and integrated on a robotic leg test bench to evaluate the concept. Experimental results show that 1) small motorized ball valves can make fast transitions between operating modes when designed for this task, 2) the proposed operating principle and control schemes allow for seamless transitions, even during an impact with the ground and 3) the actuator characteristics address the needs of a leg bimodal operation in terms of force, speed and compliance.

An eccentric inventor has created a bizarre four-legged robot that allows snakes to'walk'. Allen Pan, a Los Angeles-based engineer and YouTuber, created the device out of a long tube and four plastic legs connected to a controller board. Footage shows a snake curiously poking its head out the end of the device as it's serenely transported around the room. Pan, who posted a video blog of his project to YouTube, said he wanted to'give snakes back their legs'. Around 150 million years ago, snakes had visible legs, but they evolved to lose them, thought to be due to a genetic mutation.

While most insect-inspired robots come with a simple tarsus such as a hemispherical foot tip, insect legs have complex tarsal structures and claws, which enable them to walk on complex terrain. Their sharp claws can smoothly attach and detach on plant surfaces by actuating a single muscle. Thus, installing insect-inspired tarsus on legged robots would improve their locomotion on complex terrain. This paper shows that the tendon-driven ball-socket structure provides the tarsus both flexibility and rigidity, which is necessary for the beetle to walk on a complex substrate such as a mesh surface. Disabling the tarsus' rigidity by removing the socket and elastic membrane of a tarsal joint, the claws could not attach to the mesh securely. Meanwhile, the beetle struggled to draw the claws out of the substrate when we turned the tarsus rigid by tubing. We then developed a cable-driven bio-inspired tarsus structure to validate the function of the tarsus as well as to show its potential application in the legged robot. With the tarsus, the robotic leg was able to attach and retract smoothly from the mesh substrate when performing a walking cycle.

If you wanted to cover a large distance and had the world's best sprinters at your disposal, would you have them run against each other or work together in a relay? That, in essence, is the problem Elliott Rouse, a biomedical engineer and director of the Neurobionics Lab at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has been grappling with for the best several years. Rouse, an engineer, is one of many working to develop a control system for bionic legs, artificial limbs that use various signals from the wearer to act and move like biological limbs. "Probably the biggest challenge to creating a robotic leg is the controller that's involved, telling them what to do," Rouse told Digital Trends. "Every time the wearer takes a step, a step needs to be initiated. And when they switch, the leg needs to know their activity has changed and move to accommodate that different activity. If it makes a mistake, the person could get very, very injured -- perhaps falling down some stairs, for example. There are talented people around the world studying these control challenges. They invest years of their time and hundreds of thousands of dollars building a robotic leg. It's the way things have been since this field began."

A team of researchers from the University of Southern California's Valero Lab built a relatively simple robotic limb that accomplished something simply amazing: The 3-tendon, 2-joint robotic leg taught itself how to move. The team was led by Professor Francisco Valero-Cuevas and doctoral student Ali Marjaninejad. Their research was featured on the cover of the March issue of Nature Machine Intelligence. The robotic limb is not programmed for a specific task. It learns autonomously first by modeling its own dynamic properties and then using a form of artificial intelligence (AI) known as reinforcement learning. Instead of weeks upon weeks of coding, the robotic leg is able to teach itself to move in just minutes.

AI researchers say they've created a framework for controlling four-legged robots that promises better energy efficiency and adaptability than more traditional model-based gait control of robotic legs. To demonstrate the robust nature of the framework that adjusts to conditions in real time, AI researchers made the system slip on frictionless surfaces to mimic a banana peel, ride a skateboard, and climb on a bridge while walking on a treadmill. An Nvidia spokesperson told VentureBeat that only the frictionless surface test was conducted in real life because of limits placed on office staff size due to COVID-19. The spokesperson said all other challenges took place in simulation. "Our framework learns a controller that can adapt to challenging environmental changes on the fly, including novel scenarios not seen during training. The learned controller is up to 85% more energy-efficient and is more robust compared to baseline methods," the paper reads.

Hyundai is set to take the covers off what might be the craziest concept of 2019 when it unveils the Elevate on Monday. Being shown for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, it's the first UMV - or Ultimate Mobility Vehicle - fitted with legs so it can walk over difficult terrains. And it's not the only wacky offroader that will be shown to the public for the first time in the next week - Suzuki set to preview two modified versions of its latest Jimny SUV. Strolling into 2019: Hyundai is due to unveil one of the craziest concept vehicles we're likely to see all year when it takes the wraps off the Elevate in Las Vegas on January 7 Hyundai has teased what's in store for January 7 with the early release of a preview image of the incredible vehicle in question. Elevate looks set to become one of the most bonkers concepts of the year.