Inspired by the way ants move in tight spaces by shortening their legs, scientists have developed a robot that pulls its limbs to navigate narrow passages. The robot can bend over and quickly walk through passages that are narrower and shorter than itself, according to the researchers' report published Jan. 20 in Advanced Intelligent Systems. It can also climb over steps and move over ground such as grass, loose rock, crushed granite.
Nick Gravish, a robotics expert at the University of California at San Diego, says their work was inspired by ants, and insects are really great inspiration for designing robotic systems that have minimal actuation but can perform a lot of locomotion. Accordingly, ants can adjust their posture to crawl in small areas and move without hesitation over uneven terrain or small obstacles. Gravish states that in his observations, ants continue to advance rapidly by breaking their legs a little when they hit an object.
Gravish and colleagues developed a short robot about 30 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters long, with four recessed interlocking limbs. Each limb of this robot consists of six interlocking concentric tubes that can be pulled into each other. Limbs do not need to be actively powered or adjusted to change their overall length. Instead, springs connecting the leg sections allow the legs to automatically contract and retract in an open space as the robot navigates in a tight space. Researchers aim to build mechanically intelligent structures instead of algorithmically intelligent robots.
Source:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/robot-limbs-ants-locomotion
