Bolt-on robotic tail for balance and agility
This technology is a modular robotic 'tail' — a segmented, snake-like appendage that can be attached to a mobile robot to help it balance and steer. Each section of the tail is independently motorized and can move in all directions (up-down, left-right, and rotation), allowing the tail to act like a counterweight that shifts dynamically as the robot moves. The segments connect through standardized adapter modules, making the system scalable — you can add or remove sections depending on how much range of motion is needed. The practical effect is that robots using this tail can navigate uneven terrain, recover from destabilizing forces, and maneuver more precisely than they could with legs or wheels alone.
What you could build
A modular tail attachment sold to robot OEMs or research labs as a bolt-on stability and agility module for quadruped and bipedal robots; primary buyers would be defense robotics integrators and industrial inspection robot manufacturers.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense robotics primes and integrators operating in Northern Virginia and the broader DC corridor — including contractors supporting DARPA and Army ground robotics programs — would be natural licensing or partnership targets.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, Wael Saab, William Rone, Yujiong Liu
- Granted
- October 22, 2024
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12122047
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.