2014 Year in Review: IHMC robots make great strides
- December 25, 2014
- / Reggie Dogan
- / training-development
The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition showcased a strong year of achievements and accolades that boasted innovative advances in robotic technology.
With record-setting running robots and appearances on national TV programs, IHMC made a significant impact far beyond the Gulf Coast shores of Northwest Florida.
The Pensacola-based nonprofit research institute’s highlights in 2014 included:
The Hexrunner: A running robot with six spring-loaded legs revolving around a central hub set new land-speed record at nearly 33 mph on an open course. The record-setting sprint aired during the summer on the Disney Channel.
DARPA Robotics: The IHMC Robotics team ran the course with a second-place finish in the second phase of the DARPA Robotics Challenge at Homestead Miami Speedway. The next challenge is competing in the finals in 2015, with a $2 million prize at stake.
Atlas robot: The IHMC’s strong showing in the DARPA competition was highlighted by becoming the top-scoring team among the seven teams using the Atlas humanoid robot. The IHMC programmed the robot, which was built by Boston Dynamics, a private company recently purchased by Google. The Atlas robotic team’s work was featured in an episode of a new monthly CNN program, “The Art of Movement. The feature can be seen online here: http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/03/06/spc-art-of-movement-automata-b.cnn.html.
The Grasshopper: Called the Hopper, the device was designed, built and tested as part of a NASA-funded project exploring the use of robotic exoskeletons for microgravity exercise. The Discovery Channel in October featured the new exercise exoskeleton on its Daily Planet program. The Hopper is better suited for use on space missions because it uses motors instead of gravity to create the load on the user.
As great strides are being made in humanoid robots, the IHMC team continues to be a driving force in the realm of possibilities for robotics technology.
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