Miscellaneous


Beloved robot dogs honored in funeral ceremony

Published on Jun 1, 2018

In a small Buddhist temple, a funeral for robot dogs is a poignant expression of the human capacity for emotional connection and compassion.
 

mechDOG (robot dog based on Arduino and LSS): test #1

Apr 26, 2020

First test of my new robot dog. It is based on Arduino and the new Lynxmotion Smart Servos. The chassis was handcrafted with aluminum and there are other parts also handcrafted with high impact polystyrene. The legs are completely made with brackets from the new Lynxmotion Servo Erector Set (SES V2).


It walks! (mechDOG: DIY robot dog based on Arduino and LSS)

May 5, 2020

First successful walking routine for my new DIY robot dog. It is based on Arduino and the new Lynxmotion Smart Servos. The chassis was handcrafted with aluminum and there are other parts also handcrafted with high impact polystyrene. The legs are completely made with brackets from the new Lynxmotion Servo Erector Set (SES V2).

You may have noticed the green tape on the feet... it is temporary, and serves to reduce the friction caused by the rubber tips (this should be corrected with improvements in the code)

Each leg has 3x ST1 servos (Lynxmotion Smart Servos) and they are controlled by an Arduino Uno and an Lynxmotion LSS Adapter Board.


mechDOG (DIY robot dog based on Arduino and LSS): turning

Turning gait of my new DIY robot dog (aka mechDOG). It is based on Arduino and the new Lynxmotion Smart Servos. The chassis was handcrafted with aluminum and there are other parts also handcrafted with high impact polystyrene. The legs are completely made with brackets from the new Lynxmotion Servo Erector Set (SES V2).

Each leg has 3x ST1 servos (Lynxmotion Smart Servos) and they are controlled by an Arduino Uno and a Lynxmotion LSS Adapter Board

robotshop.com/community/forum/t/mechdog-robot-dog-based-on-arduino-and-lss/65705
 

Guide Dog Robot MELDOG 1976-1983

Mar 16, 2021

The Guide Dog Robot Project started in the 1977 fiscal year at MEL (Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Ministry of International Trade and Industry). The project's goal is to enhance mobility aids for the blind by providing them with the functions of guide dogs, i.e., obedience in navigating or guiding a blind master, intelligent disobedience in detecting and avoiding obstacles in his/her path, and well-organized human-machine communication which does not interfere with his/her remaining senses.
 

Meet mechDOG, Lynxmotion's Robot Dog by RobotShop.com

Sep 26, 2022

Learn more about mechDOG here: robotshop.com/en/lynxmotion-lss-mechdog-quadruped-rc-kit-w-lss-2io.html

Owning a robot dog is fun and educational, so is having Lynxmotion’s mechDOG! As you can see, walking and transporting lightweight items can be easily achieved by this development platform. With its 12 degrees of freedom and an Arduino-based sample code, users have full control over its movements: dynamic and static gaits, along with the body pitch, body roll and height adjustment, and all motions combined together! mechDOG is designed to be a robotic development platform where users can add additional parts like sensors, single board computers and more. It’s based around the Servo Erector Set (SES) v2 system, which uses the compact, modular and configurable Lynxmotion Smart Servos (LSS).

Lynxmotion, Vermont, USA
 

Learning Quiet Walking for a Small Home Robot

Feb 23, 2025

Authors: Ryo Watanabe, Takahiro Miki, Fan Shi, Yuki Kadokawa,Filip Bjelonic, Kento Kawaharazuka, Andrei Cramariuc, Marco Hutter
ICRA 2025

Project page: https://sony.github.io/QuietWalk/
Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.10983

Abstract:As home robotics gains traction, robots are increasingly integrated into households, offering companionship and assistance. Quadruped robots, particularly those resembling dogs, have emerged as popular alternatives for traditional pets. However, user feedback highlights concerns about the noise these robots generate during walking at home, particularly the loud footstep sound. To address this issue, we propose a sim-to-real based reinforcement learning (RL) approach to minimize the foot contact velocity highly related to the footstep sound. Our framework incorporates three key elements: learning varying PD gains to actively dampen and stiffen each joint, utilizing foot contact sensors, and employing curriculum learning to gradually enforce penalties on foot contact velocity. Experiments demonstrate that our learned policy achieves superior quietness compared to a RL baseline and the carefully handcrafted Sony commercial controllers. Furthermore, the trade-off between robustness and quietness is shown. This research contributes to developing quieter and more user-friendly robotic companions in home environments.
 

TU Delft and EPFL scientists develop dog-inspired robot that runs without motors

Mar 23, 2025

Scientists from TU Delft and EPFL have created a quadruped robot capable of running like a dog without the need for motors. This achievement, a product of combining innovative mechanics with data-driven technology, was published in Nature Machine Intelligence and could pave the way for energy-efficient robotics.

tudelft.nl/en/2025/me/news/scientists-develop-dog-inspired-robot-that-runs-without-motors

nature.com/articles/s42256-025-00988-x
 
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