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The current generation of robots with legs are significantly less efficient than they could be, which means the future for such machines may be bright.

Alexander Kott at the in Adelphi, Maryland, and his colleagues have performed an assessment using the Heglund formula, which describes the power needed by an animal of a specific size to move at a given speed. Originally used to study animals from cockroaches to elephants, it has now been applied by the team to wheeled and tracked vehicles.

The study included vehicles from the Model T Ford to 35-tonne tanks, plotting engine power output against weight and speed. Most vehicles 鈥� and the animals also included in the analysis 鈥� followed the Heglund formula, but legged robots were conspicuous outliers. For example, the humanoid Atlas robot manufactured by US firm Boston Dynamics consumes 60 times as much power when moving as is predicted.

Kott says that animals achieve their efficiency with spring-like tissues, which conserve energy. Legged robots lack these, but 鈥渙ngoing research in novel materials is likely to open opportunities for similar store-and-recycle approaches鈥�, he says.

The US Army is looking at designs for a robotic cargo carrier for infantry squads, and current contenders all run on wheels or tracks. Eventually, walking robots should be efficient enough to compete. 鈥淒on鈥檛 bet against legs,鈥� says Kott.