Based on Troodon Formosus, a carnivorous, 2-legged dinosaur of the Cretaceous Era, the robot nicknamed TROODY is capable of standing, walking, and making adjustments for terrain.

The robot is the brainchild of Peter Dilworth, a researcher at MIT's Leg Lab, part of the Artificial Intelligence Lab. The Leg Lab is dedicated to simulating and building creatures which walk, run, and hop like their biological counterparts, with the hope that studying how humans and other animals walk and run will enable devices to help people with disabilities.

TROODY is comprised of numerous motors and gears which move the hinged joints between Troody's aluminum 'bones.' Sensors and joints feed information to the program that makes fine adjustments for balance and mobility. An onboard computer receives continuous feedback on the positions of legs and joints in order to guide and modify the movement. It took five years for Dilworth to work out the hardware and control programs for Troody to be able to stand up from a sitting position and then to walk.

Designed to get kids interested in science by appealing to their fascination with dinosaurs, TROODY is currently wrapping up a stint at the Boston Museum of Science.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology