Robots more efficient walkers than insects

The issue between creative design and evolution is no longer just a quirky religious debate in the US. Scientists are taking it to the next level. Researchers from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland published an article in Nature Communications in February that shows a bipedal gait is less efficient than a tripedal gait, which is used by insects. To prove this, they used a hexapedal robot to test bipedal and tripedal gaits.

The robot, which looks like a six-legged spider, was timed while walking with three and two legs at a time. The researchers found that the robot was 25 percent faster when walking with two legs at once. The quickest way for any legged animal to move is by minimizing the amount of time legs spend in contact with the ground. Insects always have three legs on the ground at any given moment. A bipedal gait allows for three strokes per cycle instead of two, however, allowing for faster movement.

It is not really true that scientists have outsmarted evolution, though. The researchers noted that the tripedal gait is ideal for sticking to surfaces, as insects are wont to do. When the researchers put polymer boots on the flies to keep them from sticking to surfaces, they started using more bipedal movements.

It turns out that insects are not as dumb as everyone thought. Even better, robots happen to be a great way to illustrate this fact. This is probably why the educational robot and robot kit markets have been a focus among China makers.