Russian engineers have refined and improved the first domestic robot dog, released in 2021. The walking robot is even more adapted to the urban environment in the form of stairs, elevators, escalators. Now not only scientists but also students and even schoolchildren at robotics courses will be able to work with it.
The development of the Research Institute of Mechanics of MSU named after M.V.Lomonosov and the "Volt Brothers" project received a new body, which is easier to open and disassemble on the table. It is now easier to connect or attach additional equipment to the robot dog running on the "Robot Operating System". For example, a lidar or a depth camera, which help the robot identify walls and obstacles while moving around the city.
As noted by the MSU press service, the robot dog operates without recharging for about 60 minutes and can perform simple commands from any position: lie down, get up, give a paw. It is capable of trotting at a speed of about 3.5 km / h. It's easy to control, you can do it with a regular joystick.
Practical courses on applied mechanics and control theory for robotics students are included with the updated robot dog. In addition, scientists and engineers have developed a full educational course on working with walking machines. Educational organizations in Russia can get it on request to the developers.
We made the new version of the robot maximally open for development in terms of software at all levels, which no other robot can boast of.
So far, the Moscow robot dog remains the first and only quadruped walking robot in Russia. This direction of robotics is promising in the global community, as it is easier for walking mechanisms to move in the urban environment than for wheel robots.
The uniqueness of the robot dog also lies in the fact that it operates on brushless drives with small reduction ratios. This type of drive makes the robot simple to service, more stable and faster in operation, and reduces its energy consumption.
Its appearance in universities and schools in Russia will help next-generation research groups create new samples of walking robots for different areas.
Guests of the Moscow "Expocenter" on Krasnaya Presnya will be able to see the robot dog live on October 7. Then an interactive popular science exhibition will open as part of the national festival SCIENCE 0+.