“... an alien race that looked like insects... would build robots to look like themselves.. "
Kevin J. Anderson
Before the Waseda-Hitachi Leg II (WHL-11) biped robot was unveiled at the 1985 Tsukuba Expo in Japan, robots could roll, drag, or crawl their way around. But here was a real breakthrough. This one could walk. Developed by Hitachi in collaboration with Waseda University, Japan, and with an onboard computer and hydraulic pump, the WHL-11 was capable of static walking on a flat surface at around thirteen seconds per step. The robot was also able to turn.
If a robot could walk like a human, it had been reasoned, it would be able to maneuver around objects and go up and down stairs—the applications of such a machine would be almost limitless. To do so, however, it had to have two legs, just like a person. It would also need to be able to walk on uneven ground.
Initial walking systems for experimental biped robots all emphasized static balance walking: the walking robot passed through successive states of static equilibrium. When walking with dynamic balance, the center of mass is allowed outside of the area prescribed by the feet, and the robot may actually be '"failing" during parts of the gait cycle—like a human. Thus a foot must be moved at just the right instant in order to break the fall and achieve an effective transitional movement. Dynamic balance would be the next major milestone.
