He can keep his balance if kicked or pushed, resist objects thrown at him, and is able to run.
Standing 142 centimeters tall and weighing 38 kilograms, ARTEMIS is the first robot of its kind developed by mechanical engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and it’s ready to jump onto a football field.
Using cutting-edge technology, ARTEMIS, an acronym for Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability, can maintain balance when kicked or pushed, resist objects thrown at it and is able to run, but what sets ARTEMIS apart is its ability to kick a ball.
“If your robot can’t even play a football game, how are you going to be able to use these robots for more important things, like saving human lives?” says Dennis Hong, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Robotics Laboratory. and Mechanisms (RoMeLa) at UCLA, which developed ARTEMIS.
The technologies used for soccer-playing robots are also used in other applications, such as firefighting and disaster relief, Hong explains.
The robot’s main innovation is that engineers custom-designed its actuators – devices that generate movement from energy – to behave like biological muscles.
They are springy and force controlled, rather than the rigid and position controlled of most robots.