Purr-plexed? Cats teach a robot how to land on its feet

[joeybee12]

Cats teach human beings things all of the time. Like how to be patient when an animal is screaming, "Meow" in your face at 6 a.m. and why it's not a good idea to leave your headphones on the floor. Now researchers are trying to use them to teach robots how to land upright.

The old adage is true: Cats really do always land on their feet. (Well, for the most part). Karen Liu, an associate professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, wanted to teach robots to do the same thing.

It's all about the angle of the landing. Cats, she told TODAY, are able to contort their bodies in just the right way so they land gently on their feet.

"There is always an optimal sequence of poses," Liu said. "If you can reach those poses at the right time, then you are able to orient yourself and land on the ground."

http://www.today.com/pets/purr-plexed-cats-teach-robot-how-land-its-feet-1D80289351

[MissB]

1. Cats are amazingly agile.

The head phone thing, yeah. My teens have lost a few earbuds that way.