The SILO6 is the 2nd robot developed by CSIC, the earlier version was SILO4 (a quadruped).  A robot with 6 legs is capable of moving faster than one with 4 legs, so this version is a hexapod.  An insect-type leg configuration requires more torque, and thus more power, so the researchers experimented with a pseudo-mammalian leg configuration (which requires much less torque).  However, in the end the robot uses an alternating tripod gait, where 3 feet are always in contact with the ground.

It has a sensor head for detecting land mines as well as objects that may be in the way of the robot.  When the sensor detects a mine or suspicious area, it sends the exact location to a computer database using GPS that is accurate to within 2cm of the target.  Land mine detection is a very dangerous job that is still done mostly by human beings, so a robot like this will prove invaluable in the future.

･CSIC SILO6 (official site EN)

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CSIC

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