Mochammad Ariyanto
What if the cockroaches were the next robots of complex rescue missions or investigation of war wreckage? A team of scientists decided to experiment.
Search, rescue, surveillance operations. They may seem reserved for humans, but a team of engineers thought the task served better to… cheap.
And through an improved navigation system, these small animals become true cyborgs.
This is because the very anatomy of these animals is perfect for inserting themselves in difficult places: pass into narrow sites, fuck walls, infiltrate pipes and even survive in places with little oxygen.
“The creation of a small -scale functional robot is a challenge; We wanted to get around this obstacle by keeping things simple, ”explains the main author of the published in February in Soft RoboticsMochammad Ariyanto.
What they did was, therefore, to insert a Complex navigation system: a kind of technological backpack.
“By simply connecting electronic devices to insects, we can avoid the finer details of robotic engineering and focus on achieving our goals,” explains Ariyanto.
The set they created is called “Bio-Hybrid Navigation System Based on Behavior (BioBBN) ”and is based on programming reach-avoidwhich involves the goal of reaching a defined place, avoiding the obstacles that may arise along the way.
BioBBN consists of two navigation algorithms: one for simple environments and one for more complex situations.
“The first navigation system could use a larger and heavier electronic backpack, while the second needed a most compact backpack And lighter to accommodate your navigation on complex land, ”scientists write.
“This algorithm… took advantage of the natural behaviors of cockroaches, such as following walls and fucking, to navigate around and over obstacles,” they write. “The second dense scenario required more time due to the increase in Avoid obstacles and the natural climbing behavior ”.
The authors now expect these robot insects can be used to inspect the dangerous rubble left following wars and natural catastrophes. “I believe our cyborg insects can achieve goals with less effort and power than purely mechanical robots,” says engineer Keisuke Morishima.
“Our Autonomous Bio-Hybrid Navigation SystemThe exceeding problems that have traditionally challenged the robotslike the recovery of falls. This is what is necessary to get out of the laboratory and enter real life scenarios, such as wild nature. ”
