Plants May Supply Unique Materials for Robotic Actuators

Robotic Apple with WormIt’s always fascinating to me that one of the best sources for new ideas in robotics is nature.  Here is another case where living organisms have provided a model for mechanisms in a robot.  In this article from Nanowerk News (click the link below for the full article),  the research leading to this application is detailed.

There are many examples of robots built on the basis of some animal, insect, or plant.  Some examples are snakebots, robofish, and even robobees.  Nature is simply one of the best models for roboticists to follow.

What is your favorite biomimetic robot?  Let me know your ideas.

Engineers developing moveable robot components may soon take advantage of a trick plants use. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and Harvard University in Cambridge (USA) have devised porous materials that could serve as actuators, or motors.

Read More: Materials modelled after plants may help robots to move more naturally

Source:  Nanowerk

"Ladybird" autonomous robot to help out down on the farm

Agricultural robots are beginning to come into their own.  This article on the “Ladybird” robot explains how one type of machine is being developed to help farmers conduct a host of operations on many types of crops.  This “bug” won’t eat the insects, but will collect various kinds of data to help determine the problems and how to control them.  See below for the link to the article and for links to other information on related robotics projects.

'Ladybird' is an autonomous farm robot capable of conducting mobile monitoring of a variet...

http://images.gizmag.com/hero/ladybird-7.jpg

“Ladybirds are happily welcomed by gardeners into their yards, knowing that they will consume the most prolific plant pests like white flies, mites, and aphids. Imagine, then, how useful an autonomous, solar-powered, intelligent robotic ladybird could be on a farm. Enter the University of Sydney’s “Ladybird,” not actually an eater of insect pests, but a robot capable of conducting mobile farm reconnaissance, mapping, classification, and detection of problems for a variety of different crops. ..” Continue Reading “Ladybird” autonomous robot to help out down on the farm
Section: Robotics
Tags: Agriculture, Autonomous, Farming, Robotics, Robots, University of Sydney
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“Ladybird” autonomous robot to help out down on the farm
Colin Jeffrey
Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:22:08 GMT

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