Agility Robotics showed off the incredible endurance of its artificial intelligence-driven bipedal robot by pacing it on a long 5K run. A 5K usually refers to the length of a race which is 5 kilometers or about 3.1 miles, quite an achievement for a walking bot. This isn't the first demonstration of this particular Agility robot but the amount of time and distance traveled without any intervention is impressive.
Agility Robotics is a relatively new company, founded in 2015, spinning out of the research of co-founders Jonathon Hurst and Damion Shelton, each holding a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. The company began with legged robots that were developed by Oregon State University and licensed to Agility for commercialization. In 2017, its first in-house bipedal robot, Cassie, was developed.
Agility Robotics gave an impressive demonstration in a YouTube video of the endurance of its two-legged robot, Cassie, by setting out on a 5K run with no tether and no breaks for recharging. This is a first for bipedal robots. To achieve this milestone, researchers from the Oregon State University Dynamic Robotics Laboratory, led by Agility Robotics’ Jonathan Hurst, used knowledge of biomechanics and machine learning to refine the efficiency and maximize battery life. Cassie completed the 5K in 53 minutes, making its average speed 3.5 miles per hour, a good walking pace. Agility notes that this advance will also benefit its more advanced bipedal robot that also has arms, Digit, in the future. Since the knees bend in the opposite direction of a human's, Cassie is sometimes referred to as an ostrich-like robot but that wasn't the goal of the design, simply a coincidence.
What Can Cassie & Digit Do?
Cassie was originally operated on a tether, as all bipedal robots are, both for protection and ease of development, but over time attained sufficient stability and robustness to freely move around on battery power. Its hip has three degrees of freedom, just like a human hip, so the legs can move forward, backward and side-to-side, as well as rotate. The ankles are powered, which allows this legged robot to balance while standing in place. Cassie is no longer available for purchase, being discontinued in 2019 and replaced with Digit.
The ongoing research made using Cassie benefits Agility's newest creation, a robot with even more flexibility. Digit has similar legs, but also an upright torso and arms with enough strength to carry a 40-pound stack of boxes. Agility Robotics' Digit can be ordered and is ready to ship. It isn't clear what the range of the newer bot is but being larger than Cassie, it might not be able to complete a 5K without taking a break to replenish its battery power. However, Digit will benefit from Cassie's improved efficiency in movement.
Source: Agility Robotics, YouTube