getting up is easy...not falling is hard

Combat robots wow crowds:: Go and follow the link just to see the videos of the robots falling down. They get up, which is good. They seemed to put a lot more effort into scripts that allow the robot to get up from a fallen position than dynamic balancing algorithms which would keep the robot from falling down in the first place.

Either way, electric motor bipeds are dead in the water. The power requirements are huge and you can't really run without compliant legs or linear actuators. Have you ever seen ASIMO do more than take baby steps? It isn’t just because they are careful with such an expensive bot. For more information, go to this great site on robotic legs.