The robot cockroach runs fast and easily overcomes obstacles
Cockroach, cockroach, cockroach,
Liquid legged buccanelo.
Korney Chukovsky, "Cockroach"
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Engineers from the University of California produced a miniature robot that can deftly overcome obstacles without using any sensors to analyze the environment. Taking an example from a cockroach, the researchers supplied their robot with an oval “shell” that allows it to extricate itself from difficult situations. Work posted in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics .
Smart mobile robots that overcome obstacles are usually equipped with various sensors, cameras, range finders, and intelligent systems for constructing a picture of the surrounding space. Sophisticated algorithms determine the best paths that can be taken through rough terrain. But, as the authors explain the work, with a large number of obstacles, the size of which is comparable, or slightly smaller than the size of the robot itself, this approach begins to face serious difficulties.
At first, their robot was rectangular. The presence of corners led to his entangling in the obstacles. And then they decided to take advantage of Mother Nature’s Pantry, that is, the rich evolutionary experience of nature and give it a streamlined shape. This approach they have spotted in tropical cockroaches. They live on earth in dense vegetation, and thanks to the oval shape of their shells, they rather deftly push themselves through obstacles.
Facing obstacles, the cockroaches simply tilt the body to the side, and thus squeeze through blades of grass and other objects. And the lack of corners does not allow them to cling to anything.
With such armor, the researchers equipped their six-legged robot. Without any additional sensors and changes in the algorithm, it is quite cheerfully squeezing through foreign objects - not to mention how quickly it does, unlike the usual slow robots that can move on the surface.
Their robot immediately reminded me of the simple creation of robotics engineers from Boston Dynamics, also a six-legged RHex robot . Using ordinary motors as a driving force, which simply rotate his elastic flexible "legs", he not only cheerfully marches on a flat surface, but also very confidently overcomes different rugged terrain, can jump and even swim.
Liquid legged buccanelo.
Korney Chukovsky, "Cockroach"
')
Engineers from the University of California produced a miniature robot that can deftly overcome obstacles without using any sensors to analyze the environment. Taking an example from a cockroach, the researchers supplied their robot with an oval “shell” that allows it to extricate itself from difficult situations. Work posted in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics .
Smart mobile robots that overcome obstacles are usually equipped with various sensors, cameras, range finders, and intelligent systems for constructing a picture of the surrounding space. Sophisticated algorithms determine the best paths that can be taken through rough terrain. But, as the authors explain the work, with a large number of obstacles, the size of which is comparable, or slightly smaller than the size of the robot itself, this approach begins to face serious difficulties.
At first, their robot was rectangular. The presence of corners led to his entangling in the obstacles. And then they decided to take advantage of Mother Nature’s Pantry, that is, the rich evolutionary experience of nature and give it a streamlined shape. This approach they have spotted in tropical cockroaches. They live on earth in dense vegetation, and thanks to the oval shape of their shells, they rather deftly push themselves through obstacles.
Facing obstacles, the cockroaches simply tilt the body to the side, and thus squeeze through blades of grass and other objects. And the lack of corners does not allow them to cling to anything.
With such armor, the researchers equipped their six-legged robot. Without any additional sensors and changes in the algorithm, it is quite cheerfully squeezing through foreign objects - not to mention how quickly it does, unlike the usual slow robots that can move on the surface.
Their robot immediately reminded me of the simple creation of robotics engineers from Boston Dynamics, also a six-legged RHex robot . Using ordinary motors as a driving force, which simply rotate his elastic flexible "legs", he not only cheerfully marches on a flat surface, but also very confidently overcomes different rugged terrain, can jump and even swim.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/367479/
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