Since 1998, walking machines have been a research focus of the chair. For example, the four-legged walking chassis ALDURO (Antropomorphically Legged and Wheeled Duisburg Robot) was developed for work in rough terrain. However, experiments with the ALDURO are very complex due to the dimensions of the walking chassis (LxWxH: ~4m x 2.5m x 3.5m, weight: ~1.8t). In addition to a cordoned-off test area, safety measures such as suspension from a crane are necessary.

In order to be able to quickly and easily carry out investigations and experiments on, for example, different gait patterns and the detection of the environment using suitable sensor technology with a real robot, the scaled experimental carrier ADONIS (ALDURO Demonstrator with Onboard Navigation and Intelligent Step Generation) is therefore being built in a cooperation of industrial designers and engineers.
The dimensions of ~0.4mx0.3mx0.8m (LxWxH) and the total weight of the demonstrator of approx. 15kg allow uncomplicated handling, the use of a computer for the control software on board as well as the supply of the electronic system used for control and the DC motors used as actuators by battery packs allow experiments and demonstrations independent of the environment