Mike

Mike is a 2D robot developed by the Delft University of Technology. Weighing just 6 kg, Mike is a pneumatically activated biped and has knees. The prototype is capable of walking autonomously on a flat surface. It makes use of McKibben muscles to offer minimal actuation for walking on a flat floor. These muscles offer sufficient energy to maintain the pendulum movement of the legs. Mike‘s structure closely resembles McGeer's (passive) prototype.

Mike is completely autonomous by the use of lightweight, energy efficient and small components. The pneumatic McKibben muscles of the robot are powered by a 58 bar CO2 container that is sufficient for some minutes of nonstop walking. Mike, for the experimental stage, is provided with a very low power (< 1 Watt) linux machine, but the goal is to equip it with a simple controller so no computer is needed.