Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

[Airicist]

Website - robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ronf/Biomimetics.html

youtube.com/BiomimeticMillisys

Director - Ronald S. Fearing

Projects:

Salto, wall-jumping robot

VelociRoACH, hexapedal millirobot

1STAR: 1 actuator STeerAble Robot

STAR (Sprawl Tuned Autonomous Robot)

"Detection of Slippery Terrain with a Heterogeneous Team of Legged Robots"

[Airicist]

DASH: Resilient High-Speed 16-gram Hexapedal Robot

Uploaded on Oct 13, 2009

DASH (Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod) is a resilient high-speed 16-gram hexapedal robot. Developed by P. Birkmeyer & R.S. Fearing, Biomimetic Millisystems Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley. Video presented at IEEE IROS 2009.

[Airicist]

DASH+Wings

Uploaded on Sep 27, 2011

DASH+Wings, a small flapping wing, legged running robot derived from the Dynamic Autonomous Sprawled Hexapod (DASH) was developed to study the effects of flapping wings on legged locomotion. Our results have shown that flapping wings can improve running speed (1.9X) and increase the maximum incline angle of ascent (3X). Overall running stability is also improved with the addition of flapping wings. DASH+Wings provided a unique insight into the area of avian flight evolution, allowing direct evaluation of the consequences of wing flapping for locomotor performance in both running and gliding. DASH+Wings also provided valuable design insights towards the creation of a hybrid platform capable of both aerial and terrestrial locomotion.

[Airicist]

BOLT: Bipedal Ornithopter for Locomotion Transitioning

Uploaded on Sep 27, 2011

BOLT, the Bipedal Ornithopter for Locomotion Transitioning, is a lightweight bipedal ornithopter designed for high-speed dynamic running and transitioning between aerial and terrestrial locomotion modes. The advantages provided by wings in terrestrial locomotion, coupled with aerial capabilities, allow navigating complex three dimensional environments. The robot is fitted with a 6-axis IMU for studying the gait dynamics of both quasi-static and dynamic locomotion modes. The aerodynamic forces of the flapping wings impart passive stability to the robot, enabling bipedal running with a single actuator--a critical feature given the weight constraints on a flying platform. BOLT can transition from running to aerial hovering in as little as one meter of runway.