Walk This Way
Agility Robotics, which was spun out of Oregon State University in early 2017, is building robots that can traverse any terrain—from rocky hillside to sidewalks. Its first product, Cassie, has found work at half a dozen research institutions. The Albany, Oregon–based company, which will close its Series A in early 2018, envisions the bot eventually being used for everything from deliveries to facility inspections to hazardous search-and-rescue operations.
Under the Hood
Cassie’s motor must be on for it to stand upright; cut the power and it collapses in a heap. “That’s actually an advantage,” says Agility Robotics co-founder and CEO Damion Shelton. “It means there’s no built-in mechanical stability to the system, which makes its ability to react to disturbances and unexpected ground positioning really high.”
The Brains Behind the Operation
