T he Breakthrough Award by Popular Mechanics magazine was presented to University of Michigan (U-M) professor Jessy Grizzle for creating MABEL, a robot that walks with the agility of a human and runs at a 9-minute mile pace.

Grizzle, U-M’s Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering, is a co-investigator on MABEL, the fastest two-legged robot with knees. He and his colleague Jonathan Hurst, assistant professor of robotics and mechanical design at Oregon State University, share the honor. They are listed in the national magazine’s November edition among “10 World-Changing Innovators for 2012.”

“I would say it was a dream come true, except I never dreamed of our work on MABEL reaching so deeply into the mainstream consciousness,” says Grizzle. “This is an honor I will treasure for a lifetime.”

 …