[zamadatix]

Yes, it's long accomplished in the modern world - but try building it in the 1880s instead of the 1980s. Same total complexity, but now we consider it complex/extremely skilled because it's well out of grasp of the average person. When we apply walking to our physical selves, we don't consider it at all unique (even though it's still just as insane a problem).

[YeGoblynQueenne]

Ah, OK, when you said "the past" I assumed more modern times, 20th century. But yeah, in the 1880s all those were hard problems with no obvious solutions, yet.

I agree also that we take walking too much for granted. And while bipedal walking is "solved" for robotics today, it doesn't work the same way that bipedal walking works in humans or other animals, people had to find very ... specific solutions that were guided more by the technology already available. For example I always thought Passive Dynamic Walking would have to catch on as a better, more human-like, bipedal walking technology but it never really panned out.

So now we have weird, expensive, forceful, dynamic walking. But at least it works.