Engineers at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) have built a disaster response robot with a horse-like form. Based on the design of a centaur, it’s wheeled legs provide movement and freedom, meanwhile, a human-like torso and arms allow it to successfully perform motor functions. The Centauro is capable of robust locomotion and dexterous manipulation in the rough terrain and designed to withstand the austere conditions characteristic of disasters.
Centauro stands 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) tall and weighs 93 kgs (just over 200 lbs). Engineers at the IIT have built its skeleton using lightweight metals like aluminium, magnesium, and titanium, with skins of 3D printed plastic. the robot is not autonomous and inside a trio of computers allow a human operator to handle perception, control, and motion planning, along with enough batteries to keep Centauro moving around for a solid 2.5 hours.
The robot is capable of using human tools to execute tasks and can demonstrate manipulation strength capacity that is higher than that of the typical human adult. its lightweight (10.5 kg) arms demonstrate a payload to weight ratio greater than 1:1; thus, the payload capacity of the single arm is approximately 11 kg. Via designboom
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