DailyDirt: Creepy (But Useful?) Robots

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Mon, May 9th 2016 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Robot locomotion is a fascinating field of study, and it's mesmerizing to watch robots walk around like zombies, even if these robots aren't entirely practical or useful just yet. Presumably, these robots will someday cross the uncanny valley and move more reliably and smoothly. Until then, however, biomimicry for robots seems wide open to a variety of human-like or insect-like or worm-like combinations. (Watch out for centaur-like robot patents!)

A humanoid diving robot called OceanOne that can swim pretty deep underwater with impressive dexterity. It's not autonomous (yet), but as a remote-controlled robot, it will be able to explore fragile deep sea ecosystems or underwater shipwrecks much better than more traditional remote operated vehicles. [url]
NASA is considering a robotic eel to explore Jupiter's moon Europa -- but also soccer ball-like robots (not like BB-8) and other crawling/hopping bots. One unmanned aerial vehicle among the proposals described two gliders tethered to each other that could fly for "years" and perform the duties of an atmospheric satellite. [url]
An eel-like robot has been developed to be permanently attached to the seabed to inspect and maintain underwater mechanical devices. Its snake-like body can be used in confined areas, and it also shouldn't give anyone nightmares at all. [url]

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Filed Under: autonomous bots, bio-inspired locomotion, biomimicry, europa, oceanone, robot locomotion, robots, unmanned aerial vehicle
Companies: nasa