Insights May 21st, 2019

In Biomimicry and Future Robotics we look at research being undertaken to replicate how nature works in robotics. Why? Because nature can be a great inspiration in how to evolve, thrive and survive in the modern world. Truly effective robotics will have to mimic the natural world. Less Bladerunner’s pet owls and more applied robotics and machine learning.

Purdue Hummingbird

Insects and hummingbirds exhibit extraordinary flight capabilities and can simultaneously master seemingly conflicting goals: stable hovering and aggressive maneuvering, unmatched by small scale man-made vehicles. Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs) hold great promise for closing this performance gap. However, design and control of such systems remain challenging due to various constraints. Here, we present an open source high fidelity dynamic simulation for FWMAVs to serve as a testbed for the design, optimization and flight control of FWMAVs.
More details are shown in the publications below:

Aerial-Aquatic Microrobot (Robobee)

This latest-generation RoboBee, which is 1,000 times lighter than any previous aerial-to-aquatic robot, could be used for numerous applications, from search-and-rescue operations to environmental monitoring and biological studies.
The research is described in Science Robotics. It was led by a team of scientists from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically-Inspired Engineering at Harvard.

Octopus-Inspired Robots Can Grasp, Crawl, and Swim

A team at Italy’s Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies have created robotic octopus comprises a squishy, soft body with no rigid parts. The robot has been successfully tested in the Mediterranean Sea, where it showed off its innovative locomotion — involving moving by drawing in liquid and then expelling it from its body, or using its eight legs to clamber across the sea bed.

Snake-inspired robot slithers even better than predecessor

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences researchers have developed a new and improved snake-inspired soft robot that is made using kirigami — a Japanese paper craft that relies on cuts to change the properties of a material. As the robot stretches, the kirigami surface “pops up” into a 3D-textured surface, which grips the ground just like snake skin.

The new research combined two properties of the material — the size of the cuts and the curvature of the sheet. By controlling these features, the researchers were able to program dynamic propagation of pop ups from one end to another, or control localized pop-ups. The research paves the way to responsive surfaces and smart skins.

Stanford engineers design a robotic gripper for cleaning up space debris

Researchers combine gecko-inspired adhesives and a custom robotic gripper to create a device for grabbing space debris. They tested their gripper in multiple zero gravity settings, including the International Space Station.

Robotic Biomimicry with Ton Van Den Bogert

Professor van den Bogert describes his contribution in the field of robotics development to aid human motion. He shares insights to his study of horses and what that means for humans regaining lost mobility. Dr. Van den Bogert currently holds the Parker-Hannifin Endowed Chair in Human Motion and Control in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Cleveland State University. After training as a physicist and mathematician, Ton van den Bogert became a graduate student in the department of veterinary anatomy where his equestrian fascination began.

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