Video: Omni-Directional Spider Killer Robot Asterisk

I think this spider-like robot actually looks quite cute.

But it is not hard to imagine all the destruction it can do if built and programmed by the wrong hands.

It’s not the first spider-like robot out there, but it’s almost certainly the most advance one

Aterisk can pick up objects with two legs and carry them away, climb up stairs, move through narrow spaces, climb a net on a wall or upside down. Asterisk can even cartwheel.

Asterisk weighs 4kg, is 816mm wide and 78mm high.

techcrunch.com...

Originally posted by LiberalSceptic
But it is not hard to imagine all the destruction it can do if built and programmed by the wrong hands.

You reminded me of a classic movie; and this machines next step of evolution?

reply to post by LiberalSceptic


It looks like a replicator! lol

IRM

reply to post by IronDogg


Ha ha yes Runaway was actually one of the things going around in my thoughts.
Selleck, Simmons and sci-fi, can it get any better than that. I say hardly not!

It looks really neat in the vid when Asterisk is upside down and lowering itself with the string.

Aterisk can pick up objects with two legs and carry them away, climb up stairs, move through narrow spaces, climb a net on a wall or upside down. Asterisk can even cartwheel.

One robot cant do all those things. Its lots of different robots that are each programmed to do a specific job. It will be great when they can fit all those abilities into a single machine as well as make it run automatically but at the moment its more like an expensive children's toy.

reply to post by PhoenixOD


You are correct. For example the version that goes into tight places has got a wheel in the end of every leg, compared to the climbing robot which has got something that looks like small pegs.
But give it some time and you will soon have a perfected Governmentally programmed Killer Asterisk in your own neighbourhood

I reckon you could kick some serious butt with that on Robot Wars!

2nd

reply to post by royspeed


In all fairness, either Hypnodisc or Razor (and yes I am going back years on the UK tv show for those two) would make meccano out of this flimsy looking little bot.

On topic however, the robotics on display here are impressive to a degree, but I want to see no wires connecting the bot to the controller (honestly, even prototypes having wires is a little bit last century really. Move on for gods sake) and I want to see every function in the video , performed by one construct. The wheels shouldnt pose to much of a difficulty to apply to a standard model. Just have them bulge on one side, so you use the edges of the wheel to run along the ground, and flip the wheel horizontal to make a foot for stepping actions. Doesnt seem a huge leap to me.

The difficulty is going to be programming one bot to perform all the tricks that were on display in the video. However, bearing in mind how easy it is to fit large quantities of data into very small spaces these days, that problem may soon evaporate.

Be interesting to see the non military applications of this device come to the fore, especially in the wake of the Japanese disaster season, mentioned in the video.