(1904 claims) Skorzewski's Apparatus for Facilitating Walking or Running avoids one of the main causes of muscular fatigue, namely the necessity of a man's lifting his centre of gravity a certain height at every step. During the period of descent there is no compensation for the energy expended. The muscles have to remain strained in …
Read More “1904 – Apparatus for Facilitating Walking or Running – Skorzewski (West Prussian)”
Todd's paper is very readable. See pdf here. Note that although referred to as a "train", Todd appears to have only built one. So the original "train" aspects have been lost. Its interesting to note that "BigDog" does have the concept for a "train", where the lead dog follows its human master, and other 'dogs' …
Read More “1990 – Iron Mule Train – Revisited by D.J. Todd (American)”
from "Walking robot with a circulating gait – Intelligent Robots and Systems – IROS 90. by JE Bares Perhaps the simplest walkers that can travers rough terrain are frame-type walkers. An example is the Komatsu underwater octopod. ReCUS, which consists of two rectangular frames, each with four telescoping legs – the machine walks over rough …
Read More “1976-9 “ReCUS” Underwater Walking Machine – Ishino et al (Japanese)”
The images here from the book "Industrial Light & Magic". I located this interview given by Joe Johnston, who worked for ILM during the production of Star Wars. BTL = Below The Line Former Industrial Light and Magic art director Joe Johnston became a feature film director over 20 years ago when he came aboard …
Read More “1980 – AT-AT (Star Wars) – Joe Johnston (American)”
"Bicycle built for shoe" Oct (19th?), 1981 Tokyo, Mon. – On your bike – and run! This ingenious contraption, being driven by a Japanese inventor, is a joggercycle. Pedal power drives a pair of running shoes through a mechanical linkage. The joggercycle reached the finals of a Japanese industrial firm's [RH-Honda] idea contest.