Wheels vs Legs, What is the Difference?
Robots are becoming an inevitable part of our lives sooner or later. The growth of robots over the years has revolutionized human lives tremendously in many ways. While some robots can do mundane and repetitive tasks in factories or households, others are becoming more realistic imitating humans. they are now considered not only a tool that can do any task with more precision and speed but can also improve mental health by accompanying people in need.
Robots are generally categorized into two groups: legged and wheeled robots. Legged robots, as the name suggests, have legs like humans do. On the other hand, wheeled robots that take advantage of wheels are shaped and work like a vehicle.
In this article, We will discuss these two types of robots and their background and outline their pros and cons.
What is a Legged Robot?
A legged robot also called a humanoid robot, is designed and created to look like a human and have similar abilities as humans do. To have a similar body to humans, robot designers create a head, torso, arms, and legs for their robots.
The creation of humanoid robots goes back to the 19th century when the first robot was invented by Friedrich Kaufmann in Germany. The robot was a soldier with a trumpet who could play the instrument. Although the robot looked like a human, it didn’t have human capabilities like walking, talking, etc. That is why many might argue this is the first humanoid robot. However, the invention of this robot led to more advanced robots in the next centuries such as Eric invented by W. H. Richards in 1928.
Legged Robot's Pros
As you know, legged robots have legs like humans do. They are more similar to humans and intend to interact with them, so they are far more interesting to people and are more likely to be related to.
A great example of this type of humanoid robot is Sophia created by Hanson Robotics. The robot not only looks like a human but can also understand and show emotions, talk, and maintain a conversation on a pre-defined subject. Sophia is the first robot to gain citizenship in a country. Its ability to mimic human facial expressions made it one of the most known robots in the world.
CREDIT: ITU Pictures (CC)
A legged robot can also behave like humans and help them with their basic tasks. ASIMO is a humanoid robot created by Honda in Japan with the intention of helping people and interacting with them. the robot can walk, run, jump, dance and do many tasks.
With complex abilities, legged robots are more difficult to design and create than wheeled robots. These robots can do challenging tasks like climbing over obstacles and getting into hard-to-reach environments which is not easy with a wheeled robot.
A wheeled vehicle can only perform well on certain surfaces. They can’t go over many obstacles or climb up a mountain. This is where humanoid comes into play. They can climb up vertical surfaces as humans do.
- Human-like face and body – looking like a human is why these robots are appealing to the public.
- Human interaction – new human-like robots can interact with people. People tend to bond with them and accept them as companions.
- Going up vertical surfaces
- Mimicing human behaviors – legged robots can do many things humans do like digging, jumping, going in small spaces, opening doors, grabbing, going up and down stairs, sitting, etc.
- Doing tasks that can endanger human lives such as serving in the military.
Legged robot's cons:
- Threatening nature – although they might astound people, they can also be scary and creepy due to similar expressions and behaviors they present
- Hard to build – The development process of these robots is not a walk in the park. It is a complex process requiring advanced hardware and well-informed engineers with deep knowledge of mechanics and electronics.
- Less stability – having two legs comes with disadvantages which is tipping over due to not having enough contact with the ground.
- Low load capacity – due to the legged robot’s structure, they can’t tolerate loads. In comparison, wheeled robots can load up and move without much effort.
What is a wheeled robot?
A wheeled robot is a robot that contains wheels and looks like a vehicle. Unlike legged robots, these do not look like humans. They are designed to transfer objects from one place to another. Common wheeled robot applications are logistics, transportation, and warehousing.
When it comes to speed, wheeled robots are superior to legged robots due to them having wheels. Having a steady 3-wheeled base on the ground makes them more stable. With simple structure, they are easier to design and program, making them a good choice for students who are starting with robotics.
Wheeled robot's pros
- Easy to control – controlling the movement of a robot with wheels and motors is easier than designing the structure of the human body.
- More stable – having more contact with ground, ensures a stable ride.
- Faster – with the invention of wheels, moving faster became possible.
- High load capacity – robots with wheels can withstand and move heavy loads around.
Wheeled robot's cons
- Not suitable for human tasks – having wheels comes with a cost. The cost is not being able to perform many tasks like walking, climbing, jumping, and, etc.
- No interaction with humans – although wheeled robots are designed to be fast and stable and not to interact, the communication skill they lack makes legged robots great companions to people.
Conclusion
A wheeled robot is faster and more stable but cannot act like humans. on the other hand, a humanoid or legged robot can do what humans do with proper training but has drawbacks, such as not being fast enough or not withstanding heavy loads. Choosing one of these two types of robots comes down to their uses in different applications. We hope you enjoyed the article and learned something new. if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
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