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Robotic legs for stairs

Now, possible replacement for wheelchairs

— Photo: AP

ONE STEP AT A TIME: WL-16RIII in Tokyo.

TOKYO: A Japanese researcher demonstrated in Tokyo on Wednesday a pair of robotic legs that can negotiate stairs and could eventually find use as a wheelchair substitute.

"Elderly people using wheelchairs cannot get up and down stairs," said Atsuo Takanishi, a Professor of Engineering at Tokyo's Waseda University. "We wanted to create a robot that could do that and walk around rough surfaces."

Prof. Takanishi has worked on the machine since 2003 with robot manufacturer tmsuk Co. Their goal has been to create a two-legged robot that can fully operate in a human environment — specifically, one with features such as stairs that they can climb as homo sapiens do.

The latest version of WL-16RIII can manage the mechanically difficult feat. At the demo, a student rode the robot up and down a staircase and along a pebbly path outdoors.

WL-16RIII is operated using a pair of joysticks. However, Prof. Takanishi also hopes to develop a model that could function more freely without such input that could serve as a wheelchair replacement, allowing elderly or disabled individuals who may not be able to easily move their hands or arms to still use the robot. — AP

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