Robot Pokemon: Kojiro Would Destroy Asimo with Muscoskeletal Jujitsu [Robots]

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...flexible-1.jpgKojiro here is the work of Tokyo's JSK Robotics Laboratory. With his 60 degrees of motion, provided by a network of Super Effective! artificial muscles and tendons, he'll utterly destroy Asimo in the inevitable slow-motion robot battle in their future.
I say slow motion because, I mean, look at this thing. He's getting more hand holding help than grandpa at the retirement home. Hell, even grandpa doesn't need someone fiddling with an original PlayStation controller and a UI to get him to perform basic tasks. Like turning at the waist (see video).
Geezer speed aside, it's the musculature that's the takeaway here. Modeled after human muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, the system is incredibly flexible for robot, and its 60 degrees of motion bests the aforementioned Asimo by a good 26 degrees. It's also lighter than your traditional humanoid robot, which designers content will make it more friendly when humans have to interact with it.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...3tgmjjlol8.jpg
Mental note: Lighter materials also mean one can chuck it farther, perhaps off a cliff, should "more friendly" actually be "more deadly" if and when it goes haywire. [IEEE Spectrum via Engadget]


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