The Gyrosphere spherical robot is a unique prototype developed by Greg Schroll, a graduate student at Colorado State. The Gyrosphere uses gyroscopes instead of a movable pendular mass; this gives the Gyrosphere extra power. For climbing out of holes, for instance.
(Gyrosphere robot video)
Greg has been named one of Popular Science’s 10 Most Brilliant Innovators of 2009; he also developed air cannon, as seen in this somewhat longer commercial video.
(Gyrosphere robot video)
Science fiction fans enjoy the occasional spherical robot, like the Rovers from the 1960's series The Prisoner; I think Rovers will make a comeback in a big way in the Prisoner remake this fall.
Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...' - Herbert Goldstone, 1953.
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MIT Computerized Bionic Leg Is Part Of The User
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain, through the mediation of the electronic brain in the leg.'