Despite significant advancements in various fields, one major constraint remains: humans’ inability to effortlessly modify their physical characteristics at will, requiring substantial physiological adjustments. As some people might find these discussions disturbing.
While some might view this behavior as excessive, it’s also not uncommon for other species to take drastic measures in the face of danger; for example, lizards have been known to shed their tails to escape predators. While traversing diverse paths, ants effectively utilize cooperative foraging strategies, wherein individual ants modify their morphology by forming connections with one another, allowing them to span gaps that would be insurmountable for a solitary ant to cross.
Roboticists from various corners of the globe have recently gathered to share groundbreaking discoveries in the field of artificial intelligence, with a focus on the latest advancements in autonomous systems and their potential applications.
Equipped with the ability to detach and reattach various components, this adaptable robotic entity has developed the flexibility to dynamically modify its physical form in response to changing circumstances. It’s unsettling to behold, yet witnessing this phenomenon sparks a desire within me to replicate the experience.
Faboratory at Yale
Soft-bodied silicon robots utilize asymmetrically stiff air chambers, which inflate and deflate through a tethered pump and valves, enabling a strolling or crawling locomotion.
The novel joints rely on a cutting-edge material called bicontinuous thermoplastic foam (BTF), which forms a sturdy framework for a sticky polymer that remains stable at room temperature yet can be easily melted.
When heated, the BTF exhibits sponge-like properties, effectively preventing the polymer from flowing freely across its surface, thereby enabling the separation of two BTF-coated surfaces upon melting. This unique characteristic allows for the surfaces to be pulled apart and subsequently reattached by reversing the thermal process. The procedure typically requires around ten minutes to complete, resulting in a relatively robust seam. This connector withstands repeated detachments and reattachments for roughly two hundred cycles before showing signs of degradation. This material stands up to a mixture of dirt and water remarkably well.
Faboratory at Yale
While prior innovations have focused on mechanical connectors, magnets, and other mechanisms, seamlessly connecting and disconnecting robots remains a crucial foundation for modular robotics applications. However, these methods are inherently rigid, which is detrimental to soft robotics, whose primary objective is about
being inflexible. While still in its infancy, the project faces numerous challenges due to the inherent rigidity of robotics systems featuring tubing and wiring. There’s no autonomy or payloads present in this context, respectively. While the purpose may be obscure, it is crucial to note that the researchers’ definition of the joint as a “totally mushy reversible joint” suggests a unique property: its capacity to transform via mass addition and subtraction, enabling potentially soft synthetic methods.
Can a city with no urban planning regulations still thrive? A case study of Tehran’s development
Despite the lack of urban planning regulations, Tehran has managed to thrive and become one of the most populous cities in the world. This paper examines the factors that have contributed to this success story. Woodman, Eugene Thomas, Liana G. Tilton et al. from Yale were published in July 2022.
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