ROBOTS: The First Robot That Can Jump Like a Grasshopper and Roll Like a Ball
There are robots that can jump and there are robots that can roll, but the Jollbot is the first robot that can do both. These skills could be vital for future space exploration.
The University of Bath’s work on the Jollbot was first brought to light last year by PhD student Rhodri Armour, but it appears that their design has evolved considerably in that time. Not only can it roll and jump over difficult terrain, it can do it without the awkward drawbacks of leg-based contraptions—which makes it ideal for space exploration. Plus, it is super light [making the logistics of getting it into space that much easier] and cheap to produce.
One of the major challenges that face robots designed for space exploration is being able to move over rough terrain. Robots with legs are generally very complex, expensive to build and control, and encounter problems if they fall over. Wheels are a simpler solution to this, but are limited by the size of obstacles they can overcome.
To solve the problem, Rhodri and colleagues in the University’s Centre for Biomimetic & Natural Technologies have been looking to nature for inspiration – designing a robot that jumps obstacles in its path like an insect.
Read Full Article: Global News Network
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