Chicken walker

A chicken walker is a fictional type of bipedal robot or mecha, distinguished by its rear-facing knee joint. This type of articulation resembles a bird's legs, hence the name.^[1] However, birds actually have forward-facing knees; they are digitigrade, and what most call the "knee" is actually the ankle.^[2]

They are usually less able to handle extremely rugged terrain than "man walkers". They are often shown to be faster than other robots, capable of roadrunner-like movements. The best example of this contrast in film is the fast pursuits of the ED-209 versus the steady walking pace of RoboCop in the RoboCop franchise. Also, in the Star Wars franchise, the chicken-walking AT-ST was used as a light scout vehicle rather than the AT-AT, which were lumbering quadrupeds.

Notable examples

• AT-ST and AT-RT (Star Wars universe)
• Jetfire in GERWALK mode (actually a version of Macross's VF-1 Valkyrie, licensed for the Transformers)
• ED-209 (RoboCop)
• Sentinel 2099 1995 film features a human crewed 40 foot tall walking tank called a Sentinel unit they are used to combat an alien race known as the Zisk.
• The Zentradi Battlepods (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross Japanese anime series and its Robotech American adaptation)
• Sentinels and War Walkers (Warhammer 40,000)
• SB-913V Side Basshar, in battle mode (Kamen Rider 555)
• Metal Gear (Metal Gear series)
• Goliath (StarCraft)
• Numerous BattleMechs (Battletech/Mechwarrior)
• Military bots of the cult-classic game Deus Ex
• Battlewalkers (Battlefield 2142)
• Striker VX (Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3)
• The Megadoomer (Invader Zim) is a bipedal stealth combat mech with rear-facing leg joints. The characters even directly comment that the machine has "chicken legs."
• The Walker from Star Fox Zero.
• X-1 Alpha (Future Cop: LAPD)

References

1. Slavicsek, Bill (2000). A Guide to the Star Wars Universe: Third Edition. Del Rey and Lucas Books. p. 14. ISBN 0-345-42066-7.
2. Kochan, Jack (1994). Feet & Legs. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2515-4.