Robotic Bugs
Reported July 2005
WASHINGTON (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- To most of us, cockroaches are a nasty nuisance. But engineers are now using them as role models for designing robots.
Now, mechanical engineers have a new bug-inspired robot device to send into risky rescues like earthquakes.
"The idea is that we want to make robots become more and more capable of going into dangerous environments without a human being there guiding it on every step," says Noah Cowan, Ph.D., who is a mechanical engineer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Most robots can't "see" when lights are dim. But the key to this robot's success is its cockroach-like antenna that helps it scurry along walls, turn corners, avoid obstacles, and feel its way through the dark. "Our sensor is flexible and reaches out and touches an object, so if there's clouds or smoke, the sensor doesn't have a problem, it will still follow along the surface just fine," Cowan says.
The antenna is attached to a wheeled robot made of a flexible, rubber-like material. It has six embedded sensors. When one of them bumps into an object, it feeds an electrical signal to a tiny computer inside the robot, steering the robot away from or closer to the object.
"I envision not one or two but dozens of robots traveling through a building on their own," Cowan explains, "rather than one human operator trying to remote control a single robot."
Scientists are currently working on perfecting their roach-inspired robot before it can be made available to emergency response teams. Researchers are hopeful their roach robot will kick off an invasion of future rescue robots.
Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202
Washington, D.C. 20036-5104
(202) 785-0017
ieeeusa@ieee.org
http://www.ieee.org
The Johns Hopkins University Office of News and Information
901 S. Bond Street, Suite 540
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-3843
(443) 287-9960
Click here to watch the video.
|
This Month's TV Reports
Sonic Golf Club
Using motion sensors and wireless headphones to help golfers "hear" the speed of their swing and improve their game.
Portrait of America
Uncovering the details of the United States in photos 1,000-times larger than the average digital camera image.
Screens of the Future
Changing the way we see our cell phones, digital cameras and even small-screen televisions with OLED.
Robotic Bugs
Sensing walls, corners and obstacles during risky rescues with a roach-inspired robot.
New Combat Helmet
Improving protection for our troops in Iraq by allowing more sounds to enter the ear.
Hi-Tech Captions
Allowing thousands of hearing-impaired patrons to enjoy a baseball game or movie for the very first time.
Back Pain Relief
Eliminating back and sciatica pain for good -- even when surgery doesn't help.
Wireless Wonders
Keeping you wirelessly connected to the Internet better than ever before.
Morphologynet.org
Dissecting frogs on the WWW and pinpointing changes in our environment.
Reducing Airplane Noise
Making the skies near airports quieter with a new landing procedure.
Inside the Brain
Saving stroke victims and helping them speak again.
Prior Reports
|
