Dr Peng Lam, PhD student Shiqi Peng and Dr Graeme Cole with Robotic dog

JUST like the animators of Jurassic Park, Murdoch robotics engineers are looking towards biological organisms for inspiration.

PhD student Shiqi Peng and his supervisors Dr Graeme Cole and Dr Peng Lam have built a robot based on a dog, with a high centre of gravity balanced on four legs.

They are currently teaching it how to walk by maintaining its balance and responding to stimuli.

“Many researchers attempt to build walking robots using traditional engineering based methods. Unlike biological systems, these robots are often not robust,” said Shiqi Peng.

“On the other hand, biological organisms have robust systems that easily help them to do activities such as balance while walking.”

Robotics researchers have developed two main categories of mobile robots: walking robots with naturally good balance from a low centre of gravity and at least 6 legs, and wheeled robots.

However Shiqi Peng explained that these robots had problems moving in unstructured terrains such as the surface of other planets and the sea floor.

The advantage of the leggy robot now being developed at Murdoch is that it can respond to stimuli, therefore reacting to problems such as the loss of balance while moving.

“Robots like these can move freely in environments that humans cannot reach or do not want to enter, such as nuclear plants,” said Shiqi Peng.

The team have already managed to keep the robot maintaining its balance during motion, and are now working on creating a smoother walking style.