ASIMO Robots somo, or AlphaDog PETMAN have shown us the heights to which the robot has been able to imitate the gait of humans or animals, which have also been transferred to robotic prostheses that offer much more natural movement and help, people who have lost a leg, to walk in a much more natural. Trying to condense in an electro-mechanical, years and years of evolution is a challenge that is not exactly simple, with the idea of ​​improving the movement of robots and optimize the way you walk, the University of Arizona has developed a couple legged robot capable of walking with great precision and mimic human gait optimizing energy consumption.

The research team from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona has reached a very significant milestone in developing a pair of legs that mimic bio-mechanical movement perfectly natural human when walking and also what done efficiently.

Intelligent Robots? Although the concept may sound strange, the idea of ​​the research team was to address the problem from a perspective closer to humans and flee the closest design to industrial design and, following this guideline, discussed the development and construction of a pair of robotic legs complete (hips, knees and ankles and no torso or head) that were controlled by a system similar to the human spinal cord and operate the same way.

Imitating the spinal cord and, therefore, the electrical impulses of the nervous system was something that materialized in the implementation of a system based on neural networks that generate the electrical impulses needed to activate "muscles" of these legs, ie different actuators that allow movement of the system. When a person begins to walk, it really does autonomously and without having to "think about it", which occurs due to the lower zone of the spinal cord runs in a semi-autonomous (a performance that have moved this robot).

After verifying the proper functioning of these legs and efficiency in movement, researchers at the University of Arizona want to evolve the system by adding vision so the legs fit his walk to the environment, adapt beyond the information gathered by the sensors distributed throughout the structure. And with this development, the team opens the door to developing a new generation of robotic prostheses that allow patients to walk in a much more natural and fluid.