1984 hexapod weighed 300 lbs, could lift more than 1 ton

Robotics Technology
Odex24.JPG
odexI.JPG

This guy was manufactured by Odetics, Inc. in Anaheim, California, in 1984. From its page on The Old Robots Website:

Odex 1, from Odetics, Inc. ; is a six-legged walking robot that weighed only 300 pounds. Its onboard computer could be operated remotely and the robot moved under its own power. It is capable of reconfiguring its shape to be tall and slender or short and squat, and able to walk in either configuration or anywhere between the two. Each leg is able to lift 400 lbs, the “legs” are versatile enough to be used as manipulators as well. Odex is capable of lifting over 2,100 lbs vertically, or carrying over 900 lbs. at normal walking speed. To display Odex 1 agility, engineers commanded the robot to walk to a truck, get on the truck, and then get off and actually move the truck.

[via BotJunkie]

2 thoughts on “1984 hexapod weighed 300 lbs, could lift more than 1 ton

  1. capt.tagon says:

    This thing was featured in Popular Science as a possible future robotic soldier if I remember right.

    Given that the patents have probably expired I wonder what this thing would do with a modern carbon-fiber composite remake?

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK