Biomimetic Robots: A Photo Gallery 69
Roland Piquepaille writes "Once again, technology is imitating nature with a new class of biologically inspired robots called "Biomimetic Robots." In this very long article, IEEE Computer Magazine looks at several projects currently underway. All these projects will have practical applications a few years from now. They include robotic lobsters for underwater mine research or flying insect-based robots for future spatial missions. Other projects are about cricket-inspired robots to be used in rescue missions or scorpion-like robots to be deployed in hostile environments for humans. and of course, there are the now famous and robust "sprawling" robots based on cockroaches. For more information, read the whole very well documented article. Or read this summary for a photo gallery and direct links to all the projects."
Wow (Score:4, Informative)
"We are not trying to 'copy a cockroach.' This would be impractical. And besides, who would want one?"
About bloody time that roboticists realized that it's easier to treat robots as independent entities of research, rather than model them on what we know about this world.
And oh, about BLOODY time we have a Roland Piquepaille section. Tiresome to keep bumping into his stuff on every other article.
Re:Wow (Score:1)
if you must block his stuff, do it at DNS, the original article links are all there, and do not detract from the original article.
As it happens, I'm pleased he is submitting, these robots are REALLY cool.
There isnt a chance that one of these was released in the congo is there?
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Incidentally, I visit his blog independently - it becomes irritating when you keep encountering his stories every other day.
My comment was more along the lines of, get him a separate section - that's all. Those that do not like his articles or visit his site can block him out, those that don't do either can read his stuff.
Re:Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
The only part of robotics that actually has a good set of working solutions is the industrial robots. For all other branches of robotics we are still in quite early stages, where the number or working, let alone good, solutions inside the science is quite low.
Ofcourse in the end robotics is quite different from the source of inspiration, but the basic design decisions have to be based on something.
Re:Wow (Score:1, Insightful)
You have to remember that in nature we are talking about solutions that have actually been tested to work.
And not just work, but work efficiently. The designs that are inefficient won't survive to breed as often as the designs that are efficient. The pressure of natural selection naturally works to make the most efficient design possible.
Re:Wow (Score:1)
Basically the idea is you form a hypothesis of how a creature acheives a behavious, you then build a robot which uses this hypothesis and compare the results to how a real creature behaves.
Re:Wow (Score:2)
oh, come on alt least its not Kevin [kevinwarwick.com]"Bloody [kevinwarwick.org.uk]"Warwick [theregister.co.uk] so he's not all bad.
Re:Wow (Score:1)
Re:Roland Piquelle link ... (Score:2)
Re:Roland Piquelle link ... (Score:1)
and after some diggin in his blog, i found another site [smartmobs.com] with a post by same Roland. And this post [smartmobs.com] is surprisingly similar to the one he posted on
Complex Adaptive Systems (Score:3, Interesting)
That is to say, living creatures are systems within systems, upon systems, encasing systems. It's like systems debauchery.
Back Ground information (Score:5, Informative)
http://www-cdr.stanford.edu/biomimetics/
http://www.neurotechnology.neu.edu/
http://www.computer.org/computer/homepage/0904/
Above is a PDF with good information
Biomimetics, why? (Score:1, Insightful)
I've never understood the goal of biomimetics. Designing the first cars to use the same streets was a good idea. Designing them to look and act like a horse and carriage would have been silly.
Re:Biomimetics, why? (Score:4, Insightful)
For that matter, how useful are wheels on any terrain other than fairly wide, even surfaces? Cheetahs don't have wheels because going 60mph over rough, uneven terrain is impractical. And we won't even talk about the agility of a cheetah compared to the agility of a car.
Building robots to mimic biology is a way of making robots more robust, better able to deal with unexpected or uneven terrain, and just all round more useful. The concept isn't that hard.
Re:Biomimetics, why? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Biomimetics, why? (Score:3, Interesting)
Cars were once known as the "horseless carriage." They were designed to look and act like a horse and carriage, sans horse. It would be
Re:Biomimetics, why? (Score:1, Interesting)
Because it's cheaper to put a human actor in a humanoid costume than to find some way of animating a ten-legged six-armed three-headed being?
Better eating conditions for researchers! (Score:3, Funny)
researchers are looking in the cupboards of their local diners
Typical researcher... sees a cockroach running across the filthy floor of his local diner and thinks "Eureka! I should make a robot that moves like a cockroach", all the while ingesting the roaches larvae, embedded in his day-old chili.
Wake me up in a few years time (Score:2, Insightful)
Sorry if I'm too skeptical, but these "great ideas just around the corner" always bring it out in me. I'll believe when I see it. Before then it's just cool ideas.
Cockroaches (Score:2, Insightful)
Lots of people? Firefighters/military/...? Has good antennae, detects movement quickly, is quick to respond, is small to go into lots of crevices, who wouldn't want one?
Re:Cockroaches (Score:1)
They mention primarily animal-based robots, why don't they try combining the better aspects of multiple creatures into one robot and have, maybe, a crobster or a finchroach? It is interesting either way.
Re:Cockroaches (Score:2)
you'd want a _COCKROACH_? wth for? go and buy/catch some cockroaches maybe?
now, about having some cockroaches abilities.. that's entirely different thing.
Re:Cockroaches (Score:1)
Re:Cockroaches (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Cockroaches (Score:2)
What would that leave you? Nothing at all?
Re:Cockroaches (Score:2)
Cricket-inspired robots - Noooooo! (Score:4, Funny)
For the love all things froodish - no!
Re:Cricket-inspired robots - Noooooo! (Score:1)
Re:Cricket-inspired robots - Noooooo! (Score:1)
Have a pleasant diurnal anomaly
IEEE more than a name (Score:5, Interesting)
As an IEEE member and contributor I'd urge anyone who is actually serious about Computing to join as well. There are regularly articles in Computing and Software that act as great arguments against PHBs and also which challenge perceptions you may currently hold.
When there is an article in the IEEE about Wi-MAX or equivalent its by the chaps writing the standard and building the industry. Where there is an acticle on productivity its actually a proper study rather than a slashdot poll (not that slashdot is ever a biased source of course!).
Join the IEEE, join the computer society. Sure it means you have to not buy a new graphics card in this half of the year, but it could help your career.
I'm not on a commitee or anything, I'm just a member and its well worth the money IMO.
Wait! (Score:3, Funny)
Ahem...and where might the female love-making robots be in this list? I'm getting sick of waiting (and the Aibo is really a poor substitute).
Confused....... (Score:3, Funny)
cricket-inspired robots to be used in rescue missions
So that inspiration coming from a proper test match or just a one day international?
*Ducks*
Biomimetics will really take off when... (Score:2)
No mention of CWRU? (Score:1)
They have a very interesting project going on pursuing a cockroach design. Cockroaches have the fastest motor capability in the world. On the biology side of the research the cockroach's nerve impulses are being studied by cutting away the exoskeleton and attaching sensors to varios muscles involved with locomotion. The Computer Science and robotics end then studies this data to implement the cockroach's locomo
Re:No mention of CWRU? (Score:1)
Cricket/Lopster (Score:2)
Looks like a different angle of the same thing..
Re:Cricket/Lopster (Score:1)
I was searching the messages to see if anyone noticed. I did not have time to read the full IEEE article - do they have the same error?
Re:Cricket/Lopster (Score:1)
Bug in the Summary (Score:1)
Did anyone else hear the word... (Score:1)
Roland the Plogger again (Score:3, Informative)
For a much better source of articles, see What's New [aps.org], by Bob Park from the American Physical Society, who writes about what's happening in science. Park is a physicist, and knows what he's talking about.
Raid! (Score:1)
Entomopter...They can't be serious. (Score:1)
Anyone that has operated a remote-controlled plane or heli kit will look at that animation, roll their eyes and say "Yeah right."