FLY, ROLL, CRAWL, BALANCE, the Morphobot
The robotic biomimicry of animals’ appendage repurposing can yield mobile robots with unparalleled capabilities
A group of researchers took inspiration from nature to design a new type of robot that can transform itself in different modes – the robot can play a vital role in search and rescue situations. Their work is published in great detail in Nature. The link to the full article can be found at the bottom of this article.
The robot is called the Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot, or M4 in short. M4 can employ its multi-functional components composed of several actuator types to (1) fly, (2) roll, (3) crawl, (4) crouch, (5) balance, (6) tumble, (7) scout, and (8) loco-manipulate. M4 can traverse steep slopes of up to 45 deg. and rough terrains with large obstacles when in balancing mode. M4 possesses onboard computers and sensors and can autonomously employ its modes to negotiate an unstructured environment.
M4 possesses an articulated body with four legs where each leg has two actuated hip joints for frontal and sagittal leg movements and a shrouded propeller that acts as a wheel and thruster simultaneously. The frontal joints permit the legs to move in the sideway direction. On the other hand, the sagittal joints accommodate forward and backward swing movements in each leg.
Find all the the details here
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
