Walking Chair
From; DesignFax - January 2004 - page 8

The world's first two-legged walking robot capable of carrying a human being,
codenamed WL-16, took two years to develop in a joint project involving the
Science and Engineering Department of Waseda University, Tokyo, and
robot-maker tmsuk, based in the southern Japan city of Kita Kyushu. The
battery-powered robot, basically an aluminum street cafe chair mounted on two
sets of telescopic poles (which resemble the parallel kinematic systems being
applied for purposes of industrial material handling) bolted to flat plate
'feet,' can move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult
weighing a maximum of 60 kilograms. WL-16's normal walking stride measures 30
cm, although it can stretch its legs 1.36m apart. The robot can adjust its
posture and walk smoothly even if the person it carries shifts in the chair.
The prototype is currently radio-controlled, but the research team plans to
equip it with a joy stick-like controller for the user. "I believe this biped
robot will eventually enable (disabled) people to go up and down the stairs,"
said Waseda professor Atsuo Takanishi. tmsuk chief executive officer Yoichi
Takamoto said biped or multi-legged types of robots were more useful than
caterpillar models over uneven ground. However, it would take "at least two
years" to develop the prototype robot into a working model, Takamoto told a
news conference. At present, it is only capable stepping up or down a few
millimeters, but Takanishi's team plans to make it capable of going up and
down a normal flight of stairs.  

tmsuk Co Ltd,
http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/eng/index.html

Links:
http://www.manufacturingcenter.com/dfx/archives/0104/0104techspot.asp
http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2003/11/22.html
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994409