Japan develops robot capable of crawling over debris
TOKYO - The robot is expected to engage in recovery operations in place of people by entering damaged buildings and other locations.
A four-legged robot capable of crawling over debris in a disaster situation has been developed by a research team from Waseda University and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. The robot can also walk on two legs to go up and down ladders.
The robot is expected to engage in recovery operations in place of people by entering damaged buildings and other locations.
Developed as a Cabinet Office project, the robot is 1.69 metres tall when it stands up on two legs and weighs about 150 kilograms. Each of its four legs has seven joints.
In places where it would be difficult to stand upright, the robot gets down on all fours and moves one to two metres per minute, adjusting its physical position by such means as lifting its body a little off the ground and then coming down.
The team had developed a robot that goes up and down ladders and stairs, but it easily falls down on rubble. Its aim is to use the latest robot at disaster sites in the future by equipping it with such tools as a drill and sensors.
Team member Kenji Hashimoto, an assistant professor at Waseda University, said, “The robot also can be used for maintenance at such places as aging factories.”
