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News from the Faculty The robot walking on a treadmill

An innovative control method stabilizes walking
robots’ dynamic locomotion on smooth surfaces

The section was ROBOTICS A breakthrough in point, but rather falls forwards, one Robot (AMBER), which is equipped
prepared in the field of locomotion control of leg raised in the air, until impact with knee joints and five degrees
collaboration dynamic walking robots achieved in with the ground; then the other leg of motorized freedom. When faced
with the the joint research of Prof. Yizhar Or is lifted and the same movement is with the slippery surface, i.e., a
Technion and Caltech’s Prof. Aaron Ames. The repeated. The major technological treadmill moving stage covered by a
Spokesperson development and manufacturing of and scientific challenge lies lubricant, Caltech’s original control
walking robots with autonomous in finding ways to control the algorithm immediately fails. In
locomotion capabilities poses a repetitive motion, based on the contrast, the new controller, which
major challenge for researchers measurements of various sensors, incorporates slippage in movement
and engineers. These robots can in order to maintain gait stability planning, has successfully
be used for a range of applications despite disruptions or changing produced a stable repetitive walking
involving movement in difficult conditions. Most dynamic walking pattern that includes slippage
terrains—from agriculture and robots struggle with stable walking and demonstrated resistance to a
security to hiking, rehabilitation, on smooth surfaces, with their wide range of speeds and different
and assistive technologies for the limited friction, which causes the friction conditions. The results of
benefit of people with disabilities “feet” to slip at contact. the joint study were published and
and the elderly. Much of the The new controller developed by the presented at the IEEE Robotics and
research focuses on dynamic researchers was tested in treadmill Automation Conference held
walking, in which the body is not experiments with the Advanced in May 2019 in Montreal,
at a static equilibrium at any given Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Canada.

Lab-on-a-chip breakthrough: A new device enables guiding

MINIATURIZATION Lab-on-a-chip was designed. Any sequence of in PNAS in May, the group
research seeks to miniaturize operation must be predesigned and demonstrates a new mechanism,
multiple laboratory techniques hard written onto the chip – far from by which “virtual channels” guide
into a system that fits on a the versatility and configurability the liquid along a desired path,
microfluidic chip—a chip with tiny expected from a true lab-on-a-chip created using electric fields. The
flow channels—towards improving system. fluid’s flow patterns are controlled
the efficiency and speed of To overcome this limitation, a team electronically, enabling flow
chemical and biological analysis of scientists and engineers, led by manipulation at any point in time.
processes. One of the problems the faculty’s Prof. Moran Bercovici This development constitutes a
in current miniaturized systems is and Dr. Govind Kaigala of the IBM significant conceptual shift for
the chip’s rigid structure, allowing Research Laboratory in Zurich, lab-on-a-chip systems. The group
its implementation in only the developed a paradigm-changing created a wide variety of flow
very specific function for which it method. In a paper published patterns, along with the ability to

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