Space Industry and Business News  
ROBO SPACE
Roach-inspired robot nearly as fast as real thing, unsquashable
by Brooks Hays
Washington (UPI) Jul 31, 2019

If you see the latest robot from the University of California, Berkeley scurrying across your kitchen floor, don't bother trying to step on it. The novel roach-like robot, described this week in the journal Science Robotics, can't be squashed.

The new robot, developed by engineers at Cal, can run nearly as fast as a cockroach and as is even harder to kill. If one were to stomp on the little robot, the durable electronic bug would likely emerge unharmed.

"Most of the robots at this particular small scale are very fragile. If you step on them, you pretty much destroy the robot," Liwei Lin, a professor of mechanical engineering at Berkeley, said in a news release. "We found that if we put weight on our robot, it still more or less functions."

It's small stature, speed and durability could help the robot -- perhaps, an army of them -- survey dangerous terrain in the wake of disaster, like a burned-out building or collapsed bridge.

"For example, if an earthquake happens, it's very hard for the big machines, or the big dogs, to find life underneath debris, so that's why we need a small-sized robot that is agile and robust," said Yichuan Wu, who recently finished his graduate degree in mechanical engineering at Berkeley.

Wu now works as an assistant professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

The stamp-sized robot is made from a small tab of polyvinylidene fluoride, a piezoelectric material. When an electric current runs across piezoelectric materials, they expand or contract. Researchers at Cal coated the piezoelectric tab with an elastic polymer, which caused the robot to bend instead of expand or contract.

Researchers attached legs so that as the robot's body bends and straightens in response to the electric current, the robo-roach performs a leapfrog maneuver, propelling it forward. The robot tops out at speeds of 20 body lengths per second, one of the fastest recorded speeds among insect-scale robots.

In addition to speeding across flat surfaces, the robot can climb small slopes and carry light loads. Most impressively, the tiny robot, which weighs less than one tenth of a gram, can withstand the pressure of 132 pounds.

"People may have experienced that, if you step on the cockroach, you may have to grind it up a little bit, otherwise the cockroach may still survive and run away," Lin said. "Somebody stepping on our robot is applying an extraordinarily large weight, but [the robot] still works, it still functions. So, in that particular sense, it's very similar to a cockroach."

For now, the miniature robot's electric current is supplied by an electric wire, keeping the robo-roach tethered. Researchers are currently working to outfit the robot with a battery so that it can roam freely.


Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


ROBO SPACE
A computer that understands how you feel
Boulder CO (SPX) Jul 31, 2019
Could a computer, at a glance, tell the difference between a joyful image and a depressing one? Could it distinguish, in a few milliseconds, a romantic comedy from a horror film? Yes, and so can your brain, according to research published this week by University of Colorado Boulder neuroscientists. "Machine learning technology is getting really good at recognizing the content of images - of deciphering what kind of object it is," said senior author Tor Wager, who worked on the study wh ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ROBO SPACE
Lockheed contracted by Northrop Grumman for E-2D Hawkeye radars

Finding alternatives to diamonds for drilling

Electronic chip mimics the brain to make memories in a flash

First of Two Van Allen Probes Spacecraft Ceases Operations

ROBO SPACE
Army project may advance quantum materials, efficient communication networks

Newly established US Space Agency offers sneak peek at satellite layout

AEHF-5 encapsulated and prepared for launch

Corps begins fielding mobile satellite communication system

ROBO SPACE
ROBO SPACE
An AI technology to reveal the characteristics of animal behavior only from the trajectory

European Galileo satellite navigation system resumes Initial Services

Europe's Galileo GPS system back after six-day outage

Europe's GPS rival Galileo suffers outage

ROBO SPACE
Space-enabled app for pilots takes to the skies

$600M helicopter sale to Greece approved by State Department

Anti-collision software appears on F-35s, seven years ahead of schedule

Bulgarian president vetoes costly deal to buy US F-16s

ROBO SPACE
Extraordinarily thick organic light-emitting diodes solve nagging issues

Scientists send light through 2D crystal layer in quantum computing leap

Speediest quantum operation 200 times faster than before

NIST's quantum logic clock returns to top performance

ROBO SPACE
Second laser boosts Aeolus power

Tracking Smoke From Fires to Improve Air Quality Forecasting

Commercial Space Ride Secured for NASA's New Air Pollution Sensor

Chaos theory produces map for predicting paths of particles emitted into the atmosphere

ROBO SPACE
Asian countries turning back wealthy world's waste

Plastic junk spawns desert island disaster in Pacific

Insects replace pesticides in Spain's 'Sea of Plastic'

How to climate-proof Paris' architectural jewels









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.