OutRunner is the world’s first remote control running robot and it can beat you
There are many remote control robots out there, usually in the shape of cars,
trucks and even animals. Now we have seen the world’s first running robot
with legs, the OutRunner, made available to the public and
it could beat you on the running track as it is able to run up to 20 mph.
[Image Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
The OutRunner has been brushing off
the competition thanks to some of the most amazing capabilities such as
being able to self-balance. The remote control robot is able to run up
to a maximum of 20 mph on surfaces that include grass, dirt and asphalt.
The OutRunner remote control robot has a battery life of around two hours
and the company behind the kickstarter project said that it is very easy to
control and the robot can be upgraded. At the moment the robot is unique as
there is nothing like it on the market for remote control toys.
[Image Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
[Image
Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
The OutRunner will be offered in two
different versions. There is the OutRunner Core and this is all you will
need if you just want to have a little bit of fun controlling a running robot.
Then there is the more powerful version of the robot in the form of the OutRunner
Performance. This version is for the remote control robot enthusiast as it comes with many state of
the art sensors for epic racing against other robots.
[Image Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
The OutRunner Core version of the
running remote controlled robot can run as fast as 10mph and owners get
around 1 hour battery life before having to charge the robot up again. The
robot is controlled through a standard controller and it gets about on six
legs, plus it has a universal camera mount. There is also the option to have
a sensor upgrade, if you don’t want to pay out more for the performance
version. The OutRunner core version comes in at around 3 pounds in weight
and is 1.5 feet in height.
[Image
Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
If you want more “bang for your
buck” and have more bucks to spend on a remote control running robot then there
is the OutRunner Performance robot. The robot is available in a choice
of designs and has a brushless motor that is more powerful than the standard
core version. If you plan on having races with the robot this is the model
you will need as it is able to run up to 20 mph and the battery will last
twice as long as the core version, with it offering up to two hours of fun.
It has 12 legs but the robot is
able to run with 6, 8, 10 or 12 legs. It can be controlled using the
remote or through a smartphone. For performance the robot is packed with an
Inertial Measurement Unit, this consists of an Accelerometer and Gyroscope,
giving it 6 degrees of freedom. There is also a HD camera offering video
recording in 720p and 30 frames per second, along with another universal
camera mount. The video along with sensor data may be streamed live to the
smartphone through Wi-Fi connection. The OutRunner Performance version comes
in at 5 pounds in weight and is around 2 feet in height.
[Image
Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
It was made to emulate behaviour
of any legged animals as it reproduces their step pattern, thanks to it
having a mass/length distribution that is very similar. It has a centre of mass
that is lower than that of the leg axis of rotation, while the buoyancy
effect means that it is stable, thus doing away with the need for sensors
and complex algorithm controls, which would have been expensive. Energy
efficiency comes from exploitation of the same feature that is found in legged
animals, in that they use their legs as the energy storage system and this
allows for fluctuation along with conservation of kinetic energy when running.
Steering is down to shifting the centre of mass of the running robot and having
it lean to the side which induces a turn.
[Image
Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
[Image Courtesy of Kickstarter/OutRunner]
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