Awesome Walking

After building a small 4-legged robot, engineer James Bruton decided it was time to supersize the idea. So, he got to work designing and fabricating a much larger version of his working AT-AT walker. His goal? To ride it around like a horse. Its bow-legged design makes it less likely to fall over than The Empire’s version. Part one here.

Too lazy to get up and grab that beer? How about some furniture that can bring it to you? Game developer and maker Giliam de Carpentier created a coffee table that can walk around his living room, carrying drinks and snacks to whoever summons it. His 12-legged Carpentopod takes inspiration from Theo Jansen’s amazing Strandbeest walking sculptures.

This little quadruped robot is a marvel of miniaturization. It can balance and walk around and also responds to your touch and other interactions. It plays games, can remind you to take a break from work, and even does tricks like a tiny robodog. The KT2 can also play in robot-on-robot battles and is programmable using an easy-to-use app.

Taking inspiration from Theo Jansen’s legendary strandbeests, artists Aat Dirks and Ad Lakerveld created their own walking vehicle. Their Pedalbeest isn’t driven by the wind or motors; it runs entirely on pedal power. Replacing legs with wheels means it’s not exactly an efficient mode of transportation, and it requires its rider to pedal backward to go forward.

This tense “walking simulator” from Kotake Create drops players into a seemingly-endless subway, where they must wander its tiled hallways to find a way out. The game’s instructions read simply: Don’t overlook any anomalies; If you find anomalies, turn back immediately; If you don’t find anomalies, do not turn back; To go out from Exit 8.

In 2011, Vagabond Works created a skateboard like no other. The Land Crawler eXXtreme is a robotic skateboard that walks using a mechanism based on Theo Janssen’s Strandbeests. It uses two motors and 24 legs to scurry along and has a load capacity of 300 kg or about 661 lb. We imagine its battery doesn’t last long.

There are many faster ways to get around than walking, but Shift Robotics wants to improve that too. Their Moonwalkers shoes let you walk naturally while increasing your speed up to 250%. They’re far beyond ordinary roller skates, with the smarts to move with your gait and to stop naturally. You can even climb stairs in them.

2in1 Bricking loves to create LEGO machines that can walk or drive. This particular model is designed to amble along the ground no matter which edge it’s placed on. Can you imagine giant robots or vehicles getting around like this?

After seeing footage of a rare 1980s model from Bandai Japan, JK Brickworks wanted to see if he could replicate its unique walking mechanism using LEGO parts. The unusual vehicle has a motorized trolley at its center which drives along the inside of a loop, causing it to continuously flip over and walk forward.

It’s hard enough to hold your breath underwater for a long time, let alone walk while you’re doing it. Freediver Boris Milosic set the Guinness World Record for the feat, walking back and forth along the bottom of a pool while wearing a weighted belt. He walked for almost 4 minutes and covered 315 feet on a single breath.

Oregon State University’s College of Engineering and Agility Robotics are giving the animal robots of Boston Dynamics a run for their money, with this awesome robot which balances on two legs, and walks with a gait inspired by giant flightless birds.

While it’s not exactly the most practical of conveyances, we’re still impressed with the engineering behind CARV’s walking bicycle, inspired by Theo Jansen’s amazing Strandbeest kinetic sculptures. We like to call it the Strandcycle. Build details here.

If you think it’s hard to cross a street in your city, be glad you don’t live in Vietnam, where crossing the road is best left to daredevils – and this guy, who has a certain zen-like calm in his approach.

The Japanese musical group World Order takes to the streets of the usually busting Tokyo, and does their best to take it down a peg and move at a slower pace. Except for that crazy part at the end.

Surfers, skateboarders, basejumpers and deep-sea divers have nothing on these guys – masters of freestyle walking. Think of them as modern-day descendants of the Ministry of Silly Walks.