Dexter is a humanoid robot created by Anybots. His design differs from robots like ASIMO in that instead of following a preprogrammed sequence of motor movements which produce a certain walk, it dynamically adjusts its gait in a fashion more similar to humans. Here’s how Anybots describe the difference:

Dexter is quite different from other robots that have walked on two legs. The Honda ASIMO and related robots use a walking algorithm called Zero Moment Point or ZMP, a geometrical constraint that guarantees stability. To use this approach, a robot must have stiff joints (driven by geared servo motors) and fairly large feet. In the simplest version, the robot is given pre-planned movements [...]While the most advanced ZMP-based robots do include active balance control to adapt to sloped floor surfaces or external forces, this is a refinement to a passively stable gait.

Dexter has a different, more human-like body on which ZMP control does not work. Its joints, driven by air cylinders, are springy and flexible like human muscle. There are no stable postures that it can be put in where it can balance without active feedback, so it has to constantly adjust based on its sense of balance, the robot equivalent to your inner ear.

Check out more the rest of this description on the Anybots site.

Let me poke you with my rubbery finger!

It’s hilarious when the Segway-robot tries to push him over (30 secs in, pic above). I actually like a lot of the design work here, despite the crude appearance. The head of that Segway bot looks great compared to the silly looking pinhead of Dexter (what’s with the clown nose?). Take special care in looking at the tiny feet of Dexter and then compare it to these.