Robot Runs on 2-Wheeled Scooter

The country's first two-legged working robot, named Hubo, has learned to move around by means other than its feet _ aboard an electric scooter (See the front page of The Korea Times, Aug. 25, 2006 edition).

Prof. Oh Jun-ho at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Friday that his team had recently designed a method for Hubo to ride a two-wheeled scooter created by the U.S.-based Segway.

``Hubo is the first robot in the world to get on a Segway. There have been robots attached to Segway-like devices, though,'' said Oh who developed Hubo in 2004.

``The Segway helps Hubo travel fast _ roughly 20 kilometers per hour. This compares to its present walking speed of 1.3 kilometers per hour,'' Oh said.

Oh added the Segway will allow Hubo to maneuver easily in a variety of environments such as narrow areas, where it has struggled to pass through up until now.

The Segway is a one-axle, stand-up transporter with a rechargeable battery and a unique control system that redirects the bike in the direction the rider leans.

Invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled in Dec. 2001, the high-tech self-balancing device is used by various emergency management and police agencies across the globe.

``Currently, Hubo moves on board the Segway remotely controlled by a human. We plan to program Hubo to steer the Segway itself later this year,'' Oh said.

``Eventually, Hubo will step onto the Segway and drive the transportation device. Because Hubo's hardware is good enough to do so, it is not a challenging job,'' he said.

Hubo, the name coined by combining humanoid and robot, is popular here.Sporting the face of Albert Einstein, the bi-pedal robot gained international stardom in late 2005 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum by greeting world leaders.