Scientists and Engineers are increasingly designing robots with animal attributes. This is geared towards understanding and eventually solving complex issues of man. Looks aside, these animal bots can help improve our environment, embark on search-and-rescue missions and what-have-you.
Just as arts has been described as an imitation of reality, so too science can sometimes be. That is why we have humanoids that look like humans, airplanes looking like birds, and beetle the car looking like beetle the beetle.
Here are a number of robots that mimic animals:
1. SpotMini (Dog)
Giraffes might have been listed as an endangered species thanks to big game hunters, however, a robotics firm called Boston Dynamics, have painstakingly created their own giraffes, all ready for pick up. SpotMini looks just like a dog-sized robot giraffe. This robot can run up to an hour, 30 minutes after one charge. It is said to be able to assist the elderly and handicapped. Spot on!
This robot that looks like a dog can do a lot of things including climbing the stairs and can do a lot of other complex stuff thanks to its design which is featured by things such as perception sensors that helps it to navigate and carry out some tasks.
2. RoboBees (Bees)
On the endangered list, the population of honeybees has come under the number following the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Well, RoboBees are here to the rescue. These bees may soon be helping out mankind in the pollination of crops. With its ability to dive and swim, stealth military surveillance and search-and-rescue missions aren’t ruled out either. All thanks to Havard Researchers who created them in 2014 as a temporary solution to CCD.
What makes these bots highly interesting is the fact that they are able to not only sense the environment but also respond to it. More so, considering their capabilities, the Microbots both look just like their real-life folks and also serve functions that they also serve. Just don’t expect honey.
3. SpiderBot (Spiders)
Spiderman lovers will absolutely love this one. This robot spools carbon fibers and works in a team to weave things. Plans are underway to enable more robots to build way complex structures and even cling onto slippery and otherwise slippery surfaces. The Researchers of the Institute for Computational Design in Stuttgart, Germany are really working a number on this “Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures.”
These tiny creations could be used to access places and terrains that are inaccessible to anything larger.
4. The CockroachBot (Cockroach)
Cockroaches are one group of insects that get everyone screaming ‘Control Service’. Researchers at UC Bekerly have however managed to turn a seeming problem to use.
Inasmuch as most of us obviously and rightly (or maybe not so) hate roaches, this bot is one of the robots that mimic animals that we can easily love. This is because they are designed to be able to maneuver through obstacles and built this robot with a round back which is said to aid in search-and-rescue missions and environmental monitoring.
For some of us, however, it is still control service!
5. BigDog (Dog)
BigDog, another fine piece of science from Boston Dynamics, is the size of a small mule or big dog. Yeah, you certainly can take it dog walking as it has four legs, can jog up to 5miles per hour, and travel through snow and mud and even hurl a cinderblock. DARPA saw to all the funding on this one.
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This Dog is able to absorb shock as well as recycle energy with every step it takes. The fact that the military has a hand in the funding of this beast is enough to tell you about its crazy capabilities that include carrying heavy load and maneuvering terrains not favorable to humans.
6. Cheetah Robot (Cheetah)
The fastest robot in existence, capable of running over 29 miles per hour, is the MTI’s Cheetah robot. It is recorded as the first four-legged robot capable of running and jumping over obstacles autonomously. Another applause for DARPA please!
7. FlipperBot (Sea turtle)
In a bid to understand the evolution of fins and flippers, Georgia Tech Scientists have designed the FlipperBot. This sea-turtle inspired robot is geared towards answering man’s questions on how animals use flippers to get through on land.
Unlike most other robots that mimic animals, the FlipperBot is among the very few Amphibious Robots that we have come to see as it is able to both walk on land and swim.
8. Crabster (Crabs)
This name reminds me of Mr. Krabs, the boss of SpongeBob SquarePants and owner of The Krusty Krab, home of the delicious Krabby Patty. Crabster is, however, a giant robot designed to mimic the crabs’ and lobsters’ ability to control their movements efficiently while living in rough waters.
The Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology is the smarty-pants behind this, and the idea is to make something that can provide an alternative to propeller-driven remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) as well as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
It serves to deal with strong tidal currents.
9. Intelligent Robot Fish
With the increasing alarm on water pollution and its hazards, SHOAL’s fish could be a cheaper alternative to using human divers to monitor water quality. For 8 hours at a time, this robot can navigate the waterways measuring its salinity and chemical composition. Its design has evolved over the years from a small fish-like robot to a more functional and better-performing machine with a dual-hinged tail ascribing it a tighter turn radius than a propeller-powered bot.
10. Robot Snake (Snakes)
This particular one gives me the creeps. All I want to know is “Why mimic a snake?” Biorobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University apparently thinks that serpents have a ton to teach us as they can swim, climb, fly, slither forward and even sideways which is an advantage in tackling practically any kind of environment. Snakes happen to come in a convenient shape which enables them to squeeze into seemingly tight spaces. Now, that might be a plus for search-and-rescue missions. I mean, they can definitely snake their way through.
