Buzz
In the field of robotics, significant lessons have been drawn from nature. Not only do biological organisms provide a wealth of practical designs for robots, but they also offer insights into the evolutionary processes and natural forces that create such complex structures. This area of research is leading to an exciting convergence of science and nature, sometimes merging them in the most tangible ways.
10. The Robotic Sea Snake
The Eelume underwater robot plays a crucial role in performing inspections and maintenance on deep-sea rigs, a task that is both expensive and hazardous. While current underwater autonomous vehicles used for these jobs are bulky, slow, and hard to maneuver, the Eelume offers a more efficient solution. Its snake-like form allows it to swiftly and safely access areas that no other vehicle can.
Though the Eelume is currently tethered with a cable, its creator, Kongsberg Maritime—recently in the spotlight for discovering a decades-old submerged monster prop in Loch Ness—is working toward developing an internal power source for the robot. This would remove the need for the cable, enhancing its mobility and extending its operational range.
9. Roko the Robotic Monkey
Roko stands out in our list as the only entry still in the conceptual phase, with no prototype created as of yet. However, the idea is remarkable: a robotic monkey covered in fur, designed to navigate dense forests without disturbing the surrounding wildlife.
The designer envisions a wide array of functions for Roko. For instance, it could autonomously deliver small packages, such as food or first aid supplies, to remote locations inaccessible by road. Additionally, Roko could serve as a companion, programmed to help with navigation or to keep a constant watch for potential threats like predators in the area.
Roko will be covered in real fur and will navigate through the forest just like an actual monkey, ensuring it doesn’t alarm the native wildlife as a human rescuer or drone would.
8. RoboBees
In the past decade, the honeybee population has faced a dramatic and mysterious decline due to Colony Collapse Disorder. The numbers have been steadily dropping each year, and the cause remains unclear. In June 2014, Harvard researchers proposed a potential solution to help mitigate the effects of CCD while searching for a permanent fix: miniature robot bees that could eventually assist with crop pollination.
Although the concept has been successfully tested and shown to be feasible, a swarm of robot bees would need to communicate with each other and function as a cohesive unit, just like a real bee swarm. The Harvard team is still working on achieving this, but they estimate that within a decade, robot bees could be pollinating crops and helping the agriculture industry recover from the billions of dollars in losses caused by colony collapse.
7. MuddyBot
Georgia Tech biophysicist Daniel Goldman was assigned to design a new generation of amphibious robots capable of navigating the most difficult terrains, such as shifting sands and slick mud. Goldman drew inspiration from evolutionary biology, creating a robot that closely resembles an African mudskipper fish, which, like early land vertebrates, spends time on both land and water.
The robot’s tail proved to be nearly useless for general movement, except when navigating a slight, slippery incline. In those instances, it became extremely helpful, even preventing MuddyBot from sliding backward down the slope.
6. The Bionic Kangaroo
Kangaroo tendons function like springs, storing and releasing energy with each jump, providing them with impressive endurance. German engineering company Festo showcased how this concept could be applied to machines by actually constructing a kangaroo.
The prototype is controlled via gestures, using a commercially available sensor-packed armband typically used for drone control. There is no word yet on whether these devices will be made available to the public, although they would certainly make an entertaining novelty.
5. SpotMini, The Robotic Giraffe
Boston Dynamics, a robotics company, has developed robots that mimic humans and dogs for both military and civilian purposes. Their latest innovation, SpotMini, is designed as a household companion and resembles a dog-sized robotic giraffe.
Its unique design comes from its head-arm combination, which is highly adaptable and boasts some surprising abilities. For instance, SpotMini can lock its “head” in one position while the rest of its body moves independently. The head-arm is also capable of picking up objects and restoring the unit to an upright position if it topples over.
SpotMini has a battery life of about an hour and a half on a single charge, and it can easily navigate the common obstacles found in a typical home. While it may serve as an entertaining gadget, it could also have practical uses in assisting the elderly and disabled with daily tasks.
4. The SpiderBot
At the Institute for Computational Design in Stuttgart, Germany, researchers recently developed a system they call a “Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures.” This system deploys teams of tiny robots carrying spools of carbon fiber that collaborate to create structures like hammocks. In designing their system, the engineers drew inspiration from nature’s own weavers: spiders.
The team intends to expand the system by utilizing more robots to execute even more intricate designs and is working on equipping them with the ability to cling to curved or slippery surfaces.
3. The Cyborg Stingray
An international team led by Harvard researcher Kit Parker developed an artificial stingray that replicates the swimming movements of its biological counterpart. While this might sound typical compared to other entries on the list, their stingray is not exactly a robot. It is made from both artificial and biological components, truly making it a cyborg.
The team used a neutrally charged gold skeleton, covered by a thin layer of polymer skin. Interwoven in the design are over 200,000 rat heart-derived cells, known as cardiomyocytes. Photosensitive versions of these cells are arranged on top of the stingray, and its navigation is controlled by varying the frequency and intensity of light directed at it. Light also triggers the muscles to contract, powering the fins’ downward motion. The gold skeleton stores energy, contributing to the movement.
Research like this could not only propel the development of future automated robots, but it also holds potential for advancing our understanding of the human heart and other fluid-based muscular systems. It could even lead to the creation of lifelike, cyborg animals—or possibly even humans.
2. Robirds
The challenge of dealing with nuisance birds has long been an unresolved issue. Once birds find a suitable location, they tend to stick around. While the damage from their foraging and crop destruction is concerning, more pressing issues include disruptions to flight paths and the spread of disease.
Clear Flight Solutions has introduced the “RoBird,” a lifelike raptor model designed to tackle these problems. In trials, it has shown to reduce nuisance bird activity in specific areas by as much as 50 percent. The key to its effectiveness lies in its realistic wing movements, which trigger birds' instinctual responses to the shape and motion of other birds' silhouettes and wings, signaling potential threats.
The RoBird can also target and scare off particularly persistent birds. Currently, it’s controlled wirelessly by a ground operator, but an autonomous version is under development.
1. The CockroachBot
Robert Full, a biomechanist at UC Berkeley, has dedicated years to studying animal movement and its potential for robotic innovation. Fascinated by the way cockroaches can slip into nearly any space despite their hard exoskeleton, Full researched their distinctive motion. Using these findings, his team developed a robotic version of the cockroach.
The RoboRoach represents a new wave in soft robotics, utilizing flexible materials like polymers instead of metal and rigid circuit boards. These robotic insects, which are affordable and simple to produce, move just like real cockroaches in tight spaces. They hold great potential for use in disaster zones, conflict areas, or other hazardous locations to help locate survivors or assess the safety of an area before human rescue teams can enter.
