pte20241118017 Research/development, technology/digitalization
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on the final step toward realizing a super robot
Urbana-Champaign (pte017/18.11.2024/12:30)
For the first time, engineers at the… University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The complex muscular architecture of the octopus arm and its unique movements are digitally recreated. This opens the door to developing soft robotics with unprecedented dexterity, the scientists say. The computational model imitates the movements, grasping and handling of objects of the eight-armed cephalopod.
Arm movements decoded
“Although we don’t yet know exactly which muscular mechanisms are involved, this study is the most advanced model we have seen so far,” says researcher Mattia Gazzola. Since an octopus does not have a central brain, but rather has a “mini-thinking organ” in each of its arms, it has previously been impossible to recreate the movements of the arms.
Deciphering this code could represent a game-changer and provide the template for efficient, multifunctional autonomous soft robotics, they say. “Instead of working with thousands of degrees of freedom, we have linked two topological quantities – curvature and twist – to muscle dynamics. These two quantities are each controlled by different muscle groups, the co-activation of which gives rise to a third topological quantity that represents the 3D morphological “Describes changes in the arm, i.e. its movement,” explains Gazzola.
On the way to the “cyber octopus”
The model aims to explain how structural mechanics dramatically simplify control of the arm by automatically orchestrating complex three-dimensional, repetitive movements from simple muscle contraction patterns. The researchers have been working together since 2019 on the overall goal of developing the capability of a cyber octopus – in other words, creating robotic control systems that mimic the complex movements of octopus arms.
To study the movements of the octopus arm, researchers used image tracking. They placed the animal on one side of a Plexiglas plate with an opening through which only one arm could reach. On the other side of the plate, they placed a tempting object that the octopus wanted. They then recorded on video how the octopus reached for the object and manipulated it.
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Ulate those intricate movements. Another challenge was translating the complex muscle interactions into a usable model for robotic applications, which required innovative thinking and collaboration across various disciplines in engineering and biology.
Thank you for joining us today, Dr. Mattia Gazzola and Dr. Alexis Noel from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We appreciate your time in discussing your groundbreaking research on the digital recreation of octopus arm movements. To begin with, could you both share your thoughts on the significance of this achievement and its potential impact on the field of robotics?
Dr. Mattia Gazzola: Thank you for having us. This achievement is indeed very exciting as it represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the complex muscular architecture of the octopus arm and its unique movements. We believe that this computational model, which digitally recreates the arm movements, grasping, and handling of objects, could lead to the development of soft robotics with unprecedented dexterity. Our research could potentially revolutionize various industries that rely on advanced robotics, from healthcare and manufacturing to space exploration.
Dr. Alexis Noel: Absolutely! We’ve been working on this project since 2019, and it’s a huge milestone for us. The ability to decode the muscular mechanics behind octopus arm movements has been a long-standing challenge, but our findings could provide a template for efficient, multifunctional autonomous soft robotics. By linking two topological quantities – curvature and twist – to muscle dynamics, we’ve been able to simplify the control of the arm and make it more versatile. We believe that this research could not only improve existing robotic systems but also expand the limits of what we thought was possible with robotics.
As Dr. Gazzola mentioned, the dexterity of octopus arms has fascinated researchers for decades. Can you talk about the specific challenges you encountered while trying to digitally recreate their movements and how you overcame them?
Dr. Mattia Gazzola: One of the major challenges we faced was the absence of a central brain in the octopus. Instead, it has a “mini-thinking organ” in each of its arms, making it difficult to study the muscular mechanisms involved in arm movements. However, through our extensive research and image tracking techniques, we were able to observe and record the movements of the octopus arm reaching for objects. We then used this data to develop a computational model that could mim
