Most bots walk in the rigid, clunky movements that are typical of industrial machinery, toy robots, and people who buy their shoes at Wal-Mart. This differs from the much more fluid way humans generally move, which basically consists of falling forward in a controlled manner. But, in pursuit of a PhD, researcher Daan Hobbelen of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) has developed an advanced robot, called Flame, that demonstrates that a robot can be human-like, energy-efficient, and highly stable. The overall goal is to provide insight into how people walk, which ultimately can be applied to helping people with mobility problems via improved diagnosis and rehab. Flame employs seven motors, a balance organ, and some proprietary algorithms to ensure a high level of stability. The robot can, for example, apply the information provided by its balance organ to place its feet slightly farther apart to prevent falling. According to Hobbelen, Flame’s advanced ankles have already provided motion scientists with advanced insight into how the complicated joint works. For details, visit www.dbl.tudelft.nl.