Every living thing has its own specialties. So do animals, each of which has special features. And that’s why many universities and companies draw inspiration from the animal world to build robots.
Some of the special features of animals have inspired the creation of robots with very impressive abilities, capable of doing amazing things. Here are some advanced robots inspired by animals.
1. CRAM
https://www.youtube.com/embed/81Zv8PPF8bE
Cockroaches are known to be hardy and able to disappear in crevices that seem too small for them. Researchers at UC Berkeley saw that this ability was very useful for search and rescue missions, so they began conducting experiments to find out the secrets of these insects.
The researchers found that the cockroaches were able to squeeze into gaps that were one-fifth of the cockroach’s height when standing normally by stretching their legs out to the side without significantly slowing themselves down. So the researchers built a palm-sized robot with a continuous plastic shell that could do the same thing to get into crevices half its normal height.
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2. Modular Snake Robot
https://www.youtube.com/embed/T62E-_pQt3c
A robotics team from Carnegie Mellon University plans to build a robot to help Mexican Red Cross workers search for survivors among collapsed buildings after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico City. The snakes’ small body diameter and their ability to move in almost any direction inspired team members to create robots that could access tight spaces.
This snake robot has a camera on the front that helps humans know what is in the rubble. However, in the future the researchers will add microphones to listen to people trapped under the rubble.
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3. FastRunner
https://www.youtube.com/embed/eWZubd4bpAo
Researchers from the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition made a robot whose mechanism was inspired by an ostrich. This ostrich robot is able to evade sensors and supports design self-balancing which only requires an RC car radio controller motor. This robot is even able to slow down or speed up steps as needed.
In the future, this robot can inspire the creation of a two-legged or four-legged sprinter robot that is able to face various terrains, without having to stop in its tracks. This allows robots to be accessed across the entire surface of the planet, which wheeled vehicles cannot.
Also Read: 8 Super Small Robots That Can Get Inside The Body
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4. Robobirds Clear Flight Solutions
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https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3dqRbAotRk
Robobirds Clear Flight Solutions are eagle-inspired robots that are intentionally designed to look very much like the real thing. Later, this robot will be flown around the airport and the plane so that real birds that are prey for eagles do not fly in the plane’s flight path.
Not just the shape, the way it flies robobirds also looks like a real bird. Therefore, robobirds indistinguishable from real birds. Birds instinctively react to the presence of birds of prey, so they will not come to the area again.
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5. Flex Robotic System
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCBuyEGDHEE
Previously, the team from Carnegie Mellon University Create a snake-inspired robot to help evacuate victims in the rubble of buildings. Medrobotics also made a robotic snake that was used to help with operations. This robot is a Flex Robotic System, which allows doctors to reach deep into the body with minimal risk.
The robot is fitted with eyes that help surgeons navigate and see inside the patient’s body clearly. Flex is ideal for exploring non-linear or circular paths such as the colon, which traditional endoscopes find difficult. Flex can also be entered through the mouth, allowing doctors to reach areas of the body that are difficult to access, such as the larynx and vocal cords.
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6. Robotic Octopus’s Garden
https://www.youtube.com/embed/L7FEJJsvHRQ
Experts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have jointly created the first soft-bodied robot inspired by an octopus. The robot uses soft silicone rubber as a muscle that mimics the way an octopus moves its tentacles, lengthening and stretching them as needed.
This octopus-like robot was created to explore nooks and crannies on the ocean floor or assist in search and rescue missions. That way, the search mission will be easier, safer, and more effective because it is assisted by robots.
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7. SlothBot
https://www.youtube.com/embed/foiRTJnc-vA
One of the unique things about sloths is their very slow movement. Well, this slow loris movement has inspired researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology to create an energy-efficient agricultural robot that can hang from high cables to monitor crops from above.
This robot was deliberately created because other observer robots, such as wheeled robots and flying robots, are prone to jams and only have a short flight time. So, the researchers developed a robot called SlothBot, that can traverse cables elevated above rows of plants. The robot also has sensors that allow it to monitor the entire field using sensors mounted between the arms.
If you have the opportunity, what animal would you like to inspire to build a robot? And, what kind of robot will you make later?
Also Read: 5 Unique Facts about Tesla Bot, the Latest Robot from Tesla
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