DARPA's Robotics Challenge kicks off in only four days, so now's as good a time as any to take a gander at yet another participant, waiting to throw down against the giants of the robotics world. Today's entry comes from Carnegie Mellon University. It's a 400-pound robot ape.
CHIMP actually stands for Carnegie (Mellon University) Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform. It's also a really good description of the robot's form. CHIMP stands 5'2" at its tallest, but generally prefers to hunker down on all fours and tear it up on its quad tank treads. In a pinch, this shiny red robot can even lift itself off the ground to climb fire escape ladders in the search for disaster victims.
On top of tank treads and climbing hooks, CHIMP is also outfitted with a pair of three-fingered hands that allow it to perform in a very human-like manner when the need arises. Since the DARPA Robotics Challenge will be asking competitors to turn emergency valves, traverse debris fields and reach high-hanging objects, CHIMP just might put all of its complex abilities to the test very soon.
The challenge runs from December 20-24 and is sure to showcase some of thecoolest robots known to man. VIDEO
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