Walking Robots:

Sit back  for a while and  try  to think of a few advantages our legs have over wheels  in moying around. Wheels can't  climb stairs. They can't also step over obstacles or gathrough narrow spaces or move on soft or uneven ground. Humans and animals can choose the foot-holds that offer the best support, specially in mountains. In  fact, about half the earth's surface is such that  it is very difficult for wheels to move on it. Creeping, climbing, balancing, walking and running are all possible for legged creatures.

Our legs can also bend at knees which makes adjustment easy. Therefore, a robot must be given  legs so  that  it  is able to move around easily. Making  legged robots has proved  to be a challenging job  in  roboiics.  Although computers have been built into legged vehicles, the problem4 of  balance, coordination and walking on rough ground have proved difficult to solve. Along with robot movement, building  in natural flexiblity,  manual, touch and hearing ability in  robots are active areas of  research  in  robotics  these days.  

Great developments have taken place  in materials which are called polymers, and consist.of long chains of small molecules joined end to end. Plasticsare one k~nd  of polymers used extensively  in machines and devices. and so commonly even in  rural areas-in  the form of cups, buckets,  ropes, bags, rain-coats and other clothing etc. Rubbers are alsa$olyrners.  and so are ceramics from which china-ware and all kinds of  insulators are made. There has been great development  in  this field. Ceramic car engines are being developed which mill be much lighter than  the present cast steel and will be able to operate at  a higher  inner temperature and pressure. Engine weight may be reduced  to a quarter of what  it  is today, anti power may be  increased four times. Ceramic magnets are now  in conimon use: the ratio of the magnet's force to its lueight has ken increased more than  a hundred  times.