Robot taught to "trust the feeling"
ANYmal, a four-legged robot from the Robotics Systems Laboratory at
ETH Zurich, effortlessly traverses
120 meters vertically in a 31-minute hike. That's four minutes faster than the estimated duration for human walkers, and without falling or missteps.
Thanks to a new neural network-based controller, the robot combines
external and proprioceptive (
touch based on direct foot contact with the surface) perception.
The robot can master the most challenging natural terrain without even seeing it before. This works even if the sensor data about the immediate
surroundings is ambiguous or vague.
