Some robots drive, others walk, but there are no designs that can do both at the same time. W1 created by LimX Dynamics Although it was shown last year, the project is only now taking real shape. The robot has four legs, each of which ends with a wheel, just like the Swiss Mile, which was an inspiration for the creators.
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But the W1 can do something Swiss-Mile can’t even dream of. The W1 moves easily in circles on smooth roads, sidewalks, pavers, etc. But when conditions deteriorate, the machine stops, locks the wheels and switches to “legs” mode. There has never been a transformer like this before!
This robot can drive and walk
Although the manufacturer has not yet provided many technical details about the W1, we do know that the robot can rotate 360 degrees in place in a quadruped position and can also rotate 90 degrees. The W1 can switch from quad to dual mode in less than a second, reaching a height of 152cm in fully upright mode.
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A recently posted LimX video shows the W1 can walk on two legs on smooth ground. In the future, it will be able to climb stairs on two legs, as human CL-1 does. The W1 will also be able to perform tasks such as grasping objects with its front legs while standing.
LimX’s statement read:
The robot’s morphological advantages and hardware and software capabilities mean that it has high performance in locomotion, payload and reach. The W1 is set up for highly dynamic traffic, climbing stairs, going up and down, road blocks, clearances, one-way bridges, grass and slate roads and gravel roads.
The structure of this robot can be flexibly adapted to different scenarios, with a wheel movement speed of up to 10 m/s and the possibility of continuous operation for 4 hours. Another important element is the 16 executable degrees of freedom and the self-switching of several motion modes.
To produce the W1, LimX Dynamics worked to perfect the basic motion intelligence technologies of foot robots. The company has leveraged academic expertise and R&D expertise in terrain perception, reinforcement learning, rigid body dynamics, and hybrid dynamics to create a groundbreaking algorithmic framework that integrates perception and control, achieving higher stability and stronger real-time control capabilities.
It is not known when we can expect the W1 to go on sale for free, but the manufacturer confirms that it will happen “soon”.
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