Space Robots by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Earth Robots by the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics
- Liz Publika
- Oct 15, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
by Liz Publika
The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics
The LRU integrates several advanced technologies developed at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, including drive and joint units powered by motors that had already been proven in space through five years of use aboard the International Space Station during the ROKVISS experiment. Equipped with a stereo camera and the award-winning Semi-Global Matching stereo vision system, the robot can perceive its surroundings in three dimensions. Using this data, the rover generates environmental maps and autonomously navigates toward predefined targets across unknown and uneven terrain. This level of independent navigation is essential because communication delays from Earth make direct remote control impractical. The addition of a robotic arm enables the LRU to manipulate both known and unknown objects, and in 2015 it participated in the SpaceBot Camp organized by the DLR Space Administration.
The humanoid robot TORO is used to study the fundamental problem of balance. Researchers develop algorithms for robust walking, stable balancing, and multi-contact control. Like its larger counterpart, Rollin’ Justin, TORO is built on lightweight robotic technology. Most of its joints allow active torque control, enabling the otherwise rigid robot to behave with adjustable flexibility depending on the controller in use. Compared to position-controlled robots, this flexibility improves safety during human interaction and increases robustness when making contact with the environment. TORO also serves as a platform for comparing position-based and torque-based control approaches, including impedance-based and inverse-dynamics methods within whole-body control research.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Backflipping Mini Cheetah
Credit: Melanie Gonick/MIT
MIT’s mini cheetah robot is the first four-legged machine capable of performing a backflip. Weighing just 20 pounds, the agile quadruped can bend and swing its legs widely, allowing it to move both upright and upside down. It is also able to trot across uneven terrain at roughly twice the speed of an average walking human.
Printable Autonomous Boat
Credit: The researchers
Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), working with the Senseable City Lab, have developed a fleet of autonomous boats capable of high maneuverability and precise control. The boats feature rectangular hulls measuring four by two meters and are equipped with sensors, microcontrollers, GPS modules, and other hardware. They can also be programmed to self-assemble within hours into floating structures such as bridges, concert stages, food market platforms, and other temporary installations.
Note* Follow Description Links to the original articles and notes. Updated on 12.21.2026.