Tensegrity robots: He hopes to develop a robot that might navigate any landscape
Before a signal even reaches your brain, your fingers can adjust the tension required to lift an object with their tendons. It’s a mechanism (fingers) acting as a mind – a phenomenon called morphological computation that John Rieffel, assistant professor of computer science, is exploring with tensegrity robots.
Made with only springs and rods, a tensegrity’s shape is maintained through the balance of pushing forces (rods) and pulling forces (springs).
In Rieffel’s lab, a tensegrity becomes a robot with the addition of small, vibrational motors, which cause the structure, designed by William Keat, associate professor of mechanical engineering, to resonate chaotically.
Depending on the voltage used, this resonance can move the robot forward, sideways, in circles. While it’s difficult to predict which voltage will do what, artificial intelligence techniques are helping Rieffel discover effective motions.
“The significant result is that we’ve made this robot move at all,” he said. “As far as we know, it’s the smallest, fastest tensegrity robot out there, and the only one that moves by vibrating.”
Typical, non-tensegrity robots move deliberately and are built rigidly to house the large, heavy computers that control them. As a result, their weight often limits versatility.
Rieffel’s creation would not be encumbered by such things.
Using just small motors and specific voltages, he hopes to develop a robot that might navigate any landscape. Its light-weight body could respond to obstacles or objects much like your fingers. Rieffel’s tensegrity, still in early research stages, theoretically wouldn’t rely so heavily on computers (minds) to tell it when and how to move.
“By outsourcing aspects of control and locomotion to a robot’s body, we can use a robot’s computational resources to perform more high-level tasks, like tracking objects or detecting survivors trapped in rubble,” he said.
The Latest on: Tensegrity robots
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Tensegrity robots” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Tensegrity robots
- How Home Robots Will Change The Technology Industryon April 18, 2024 at 6:30 am
Out of all the predictions I made, the one that surprised people the most was my prediction that we will start seeing the wider adoption of home and office robots. In this article, I want to ...
- This robot can tell when you’re about to smile — and smile backon April 15, 2024 at 5:00 am
With its hairless silicone skin and blue complexion, Emo the robot looks more like a mechanical re-creation of the Blue Man Group than a regular human. Until it smiles. In a study published March ...
- Delivery robots could hit the chopping block – not city streets – if Knoxville ban passeson April 15, 2024 at 3:20 am
Food robots deliver to Vols, but they might not get hired off campus. The food robots that roll around state-owned sidewalks at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have been prohibited from ...
- Best Forex Robotson April 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Fully automated foreign exchange (forex) trading software, popularly known as forex robots, has increased in both popularity and sophistication in the past few years. Many people interested in ...
- The best robot vacuums on Amazon in 2024 will clean dirt without cleaning you outon April 13, 2024 at 12:00 am
The best robot vacuums are major time savers. You can enjoy the spring season instead of spending most of it on spring cleaning. The best robot vacuums can handle the vacuuming and floor cleanup ...
- The 5 best robot vacuums for pet hair in 2024on April 12, 2024 at 12:42 pm
Some of the latest robot vacuums are designed specifically to pick up dirt, dust and pet hair from carpets and hard flooring -- without you having to expend any effort. The experts at CBS ...
- Meet the Robots Slicing Your Barbecue Ribson April 9, 2024 at 6:00 am
In Denison, Iowa, a robot spends eight hours a day slicing apart hog carcasses at a plant owned by Smithfield Foods. It serves a dual purpose: producing more ribs for barbecues and smokers ...
- How 1X’s humanoid robot is putting a stop to you having to fold laundryon April 7, 2024 at 3:01 am
Please enter a valid email address. Well, let me introduce you to Eve, the cool new humanoid robot from 1X, developed in collaboration with the folks at OpenAI. Eve isn't just another gadget ...
- Here’s What Hyundai’s Delivery Robot Is Really Foron April 5, 2024 at 9:14 am
Hyundai and Kia reveal DAL-e delivery robot, meant for indoor settings, featuring a cargo capacity of 22 pounds. The robot can autonomously navigate complex environments, and use facial ...
- Robot vacuum buying guide—what you need to knowon April 4, 2024 at 12:38 pm
Robot vacuums have come a long way since they first appeared over 20 years ago. Initially viewed more as a novelty, these robots have only become a household staple appliance in recent years.
via Bing News