FROG

A quadruped robot stands on grass. It has a rectangular body and four legs, a black camera sitting on top, a tether, and is covered in camouflage fabric.
FROG during a test outdoors. Photo: Institute of Automation/Chinese Academy of Sciences

FROG is a quadruped robot that can walk, trot, and climb over obstacles. It's used as a research platform, but its creators are transforming one version into a Triceratops robot for a Chinese museum.

Creator

Institute of Automation

Year
2010
Country
China 🇨🇳
Categories
Features
FROG stepping over obstacle. Video: IEEE Spectrum

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Did you know?

FROG is short for four-legged robot for optimal gait.

A quadruped robot with a rectangular body (open with wires visible) and four legs has a black camera sitting on top, and is covered in camouflage fabric.
FROG's legs are powered by 10 motors. Photo: Institute of Automation/Chinese Academy of Sciences

History

FROG was developed by Dr. Wei Wang's team at the Institute of Automation, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing. The quadruped is a research platform that Dr. Wang and his PhD students use to develop and test quadruped gait control, gait transition, and other locomotion algorithms. FROG was completed in 2010, and the researchers plan to upgrade its design and also use it for applications in entertainment, for example as robotic dinosaurs at science museums.

Specs

Overview

Capable of performing different gait patterns and walking over a variety of surfaces.

Status

Ongoing

Year

2010

Website
Width
70 cm
Height
95 cm
Length
115 cm
Weight
55 kg
Sensors

Two cameras, three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyro, ground contact sensors, ultrasonic sensors.

Actuators

10 DC motors

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
10 (Leg: 2 DoF x 4; Camera: 2 DoF)
Materials

Aluminum alloy frame and skeleton.

Compute

Embedded control electronics, CANopen, wireless network.

Software

RTLinux OS and custom control software.

Power

48-V 18-A tethered power supply

Cost
$90,000 (total development cost)