DRC-Hubo+

A 1.45 meter tall bipedal humanoid robot with a silver body, gripper hands and cameras and sensors in its head. — The robot was originally created to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. Photo: KAIST

DRC-Hubo+ is a versatile humanoid that won first place at the DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2015. The robot can use tools, open doors, and even drive a vehicle. But its best trick is transforming itself from a walking biped to a wheeled machine.

Creators

KAIST and Rainbow Robotics

Year

2015

Country

South Korea 🇰🇷

Categories

Features

DRC-Hubo completes drive task. Video: DARPA

Did you know?

DRC-Hubo+ participated in the torch relay of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the first non-human to ever do so.

A bipedal humanoid robot stands in front of a shelf of drills while two people in hard hats look on. — DRC-Hubo+ can stand or kneal. Photo: KAIST

History

DRC-Hubo was a versatile humanoid robot built a team of South Korean researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) led by Professor Jun Ho Oh. In 2015, Team KAIST emerged as the winner of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) in Pomona, Calif., after DRC-Hubo beat out 22 other robots from five different countries, winning the US $2 million grand prize. Based on KAIST's humanoid platform, DRC-Hubo's "transformer" ability to switch back and forth from a walking biped to a wheeled machine proved key to its victory. Many robots lost their balance and collapsed to the ground while trying to perform tasks such as opening a door or operating a drill. Not DRC-Hubo. Its unique design allowed it to perform tasks faster and, perhaps more important, stay on its feet—and wheels.

A bipedal robots legs are folded forward so that it can kneel, while it's gripper hand spins a hand wheel attached to a pole. — The robot's upper body is turned 180 degrees for this task. Photo: DARPA/AP

Specs

Overview: Transforms between a walking biped (to climb stairs or walk over debris) or a wheeled machine (for flat surfaces). Able to grasp and manipulate objects like power tools and door knobs. Can be teleoperated for use in hazardous environments. Equipped with an air-cooling system.
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2015
Website: hubolab.kaist.ac.kr
Width: 59 cm
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Speed: 1.5 km/h
Sensors: Rainbow Robotics force/torque sensors at the end of each limb. ADIS-16480 inertial measurement unit (IMU). KVH-1750 fiber-optic gyro. Two optical flow sensors on shins. Camera and Hokuyo 2D lidar.
Actuators: Maxon EC-Powermax 30 and Maxon RE-Max 29
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 32 (Head: 1 DoF; Arm and Hand: 8 DoF x 2; Leg and Wheel: 7 DoF x 2; Waist: 1 DoF)
Materials: Aluminum
Compute: Intel NUC PC for head sensing and for motion
Software: Linux OS and PODO (a customized motion control framework developed at KAIST)
Power: Two lithium-on batteries, 4 hours of operation
Cost: $320,000