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Cockroaches inspiration for robots
Corvallis, Ore. (UPI) Dec 30, 2009 Cockroaches are providing inspiration in the quest to build a robot capable of running effortlessly over rough terrain, scientists in Oregon said. "Cockroaches are incredible. They can run fast, turn on a dime ... and react to perturbations faster than a nerve impulse can travel," Oregon State University researcher John Schmitt said. Robots can walk, but none of them can run as well as insects, and even just walking they absorb too much energy and computing power to be very useful, Schmitt wrote in a recent issue of the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. A cockroach only slows down 20 percent when going over blocks that are three times higher than its hips, Schmitt's studies showed. "That's just remarkable, and an indication that their stability has to do with how they are built, rather than how they react," Schmitt said. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links All about the robots on Earth and beyond!
Japanese researcher unveils 'hummingbird robot'Chiba, Japan (AFP) Dec 28, 2009 Japanese researchers said Monday they had developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second, said Hiroshi Liu, the researcher at Chiba University east of Tokyo. It is controlled with an infrared sensor and can ... read more |
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