Researchers in robotics have created an innovative strategy for precise robots to mimic the intricate capabilities of animals and insects – consider, for instance, a reptile sacrificing a limb or ants constructing bridges by rapidly merging their bodies.
In this gripping demo video, a sophisticated quadruped robot is seen deftly traversing its surroundings before being momentarily halted by the unexpected entrapment of one of its legs by a falling rock. As the present flows through the reversible joint, it heats up, allowing the robot’s leg to detach and swing free. Though the video doesn’t conclusively demonstrate it, the limb is indeed reattached with efficacy.
In the second video, a solitary crawler robot fails to traverse the gap between tables, but when three robots join forces, utilizing specially prepared joints that have been softened by electric current, they successfully bridge the divide as a cohesive unit.
While these capabilities aren’t novel to modular robotics, current approaches relying on mechanical connections and magnets exhibit inherent limitations.
The true innovation lies in the joints, engineered using a unique bicontinuous thermoplastic foam and a specially formulated sticky polymer. This process allows the joint to be melted and drawn apart, before being reformed into a single entity.
Roboticists published their research findings in a recent paper, shedding light on their groundbreaking discoveries in the field of Superior Supplies. Researchers propose that implementing their methods could lead to the development of future robots capable of dramatic transformations through adjustments in mass via self-amputation and fusion.
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