Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
CRAM Cockroach Robots Flatten On Demand
The CRAM (Compressible Robot with Articulated Mechanisms) is a robot with a somewhat creepy biomimicry pedigree, namely, the cockroach.
(CRAM [Compressible Robot with Articulated Mechanisms] video)
Using a combination of postural adjustment from leg reorientation and body compression, cockroaches traversed and locomoted in vertically confined spaces. With this inspiration, we designed a robot that uses the above two principles to passively adjust its sprawl angle by reducing its vertical height and thus conforms to the confined space.The key to robot performance is a flexible back spine (along the longitudinal axis) and a deformable shell made of overlapping plates similar to the exoskeletal plates of a cockroach abdomen. The design of the robot is realized using the smart composite microstructures (SCM) manufacturing technique.
The rigid elements of the robot are made of a poster board (4-ply Railroad Board; Peacock, Inc.) composite laminate with 0.001 in polyester sheet (Dura-lar; Grafix, Inc.) serving as the flexure layer. To construct the low-friction, deformable shell, we used 0.005-inch polyester sheet (Dura-lar; Grafix) as the stiffer material. The legs of the robot are L-shaped to allow good ground contact in the standing and maximally sprawled configurations and is 3D printed (ProJet3500; 3DSystems, Inc.).
The drive mechanism comprises two miniature DC motors (MK-07; Didel, Inc.) with custom 3D printed gearing operating independently to control the left and right side of the robot. We used commercially available electronics (Dashboard; Dash Robotics Inc.) to control the robot dynamics in open loop over Bluetooth 4.0.
The resulting robot prototype is small [18 cm long, 75 mm high (unrestricted)], lightweight (46 g, with onboard control electronics and battery), and capable of crawling in vertical confinements as small as 35 mm in height.
Science fiction fans have had at least a decade to absorb the idea of a robot able to squeeze under barriers to entry - the strangely beautiful spider robots from Steven Spielberg's 2002 film Minority Report. Watch them crawl under the door at about 1"00' in to the video, like the CRAM devices.
Via Cockroaches traverse crevices, crawl rapidly in confined spaces, and inspire a soft, legged robot.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/12/2016)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
Chaffeur Robot Musashi Will Drive Your Regular Car
'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?' - Philip K. Dick, 1954
Shanghai Guidelines For Humanoid Robots
'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...' - Isaac Asimov, 1942.
Desktop TARS Robot From Interstellar
What's YOUR sarcasm setting?
Robots Can Now Have Smiling Faces With Human Skin
'I am a cybernetic organism...' - Terminator, 1984.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Chaffeur Robot Musashi Will Drive Your Regular Car
'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?'
Space Exporers! Now, You Can Drink Your Own Urine
'those suits they wear -- call them 'stillsuits' -- that reclaim the body's own water...'
SpaceX EVA Spacesuit Tested By Polaris Dawn Crew
'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.'
Automatic Bot Traffic Is 38 Percent Of HTTP Requests
'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...'
Shanghai Guidelines For Humanoid Robots
'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...'
Desktop TARS Robot From Interstellar
What's YOUR sarcasm setting?
Robots Can Now Have Smiling Faces With Human Skin
'I am a cybernetic organism...'
Virtual Rat Predicts Actual Rat Neural Activity
'..the synthetic intellects at the Place of Knowledge had far outstripped the minds of men.'
GoSun EV Solar Charger Drapes Onto Your Car
'...six square yards of sunpower screens.'
Rizon 4 Ironing Robot
'But after washing and drying clothes had to be smooth - free from fine lines and wrinkles ...'
Cognify - A Prison Of The Mind We've Seen Before In SF
'So I serve a hundred years in one day...'
Robot With Human Brain Organoid - 'A Thrilling Story Of Mechanistic Progress'
'A human brain snugly encased in a transparent skull-shaped receptacle.'
Goodness Gracious Me! Google Tries Face Recognition Security
'The actuating mechanism that should have operated by the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell...'
With Mycotecture, We'll Just Grow The Space Habitats We Need
'The only real cost was in the plastic balloon that guided the growth of the coral and enclosed the coral's special air-borne food.'
Can A Swarm Of Deadly Drones Take Out An Aircraft Carrier?
'The border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
WiFi and AI Team Up To See Through Walls
'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
