The course of nature

by DAVID HOLZAPPEL

Alexander Badri-Spröwitz lifts the robot over the treadmill with one hand, the two long legs kick in time with the electric motors. It looks like he's trying to free himself from the explorer's grip. With his free hand, the biomechanic turns on the treadmill and carefully places the kicking thing on it. The robot is already marching across the rubberized surface with springy steps.

BirdBot is the name of the robot leg system that Badri-Spröwitz and his research group "Dynamic Locomotion" at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent...

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