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MIT researchers have created a new prototype autonomous robotic boat – which they call "Roboats" in honor of my eternal joy – that can target and combine in the manner of Voltron to create new ones. structures. These structures could be larger boats, but MIT thinks more creatively – it envisions a fleet of them that can come together to form an urban infrastructure on demand, including scenes for concerts, pedestrian bridges or even whole outdoor markets.
The Roboats could of course play the role of river taxis and autonomous ferries, which could be particularly useful in an environment like Amsterdam. That's why MIT has teamed up with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. Equipped with sensors, submarine thrusters, GPS, cameras and tiny computer brains, maneuvers can follow a predetermined trajectory, but testing of newer 3D prototypes has introduced a new level of intelligence. 39, autonomy can go much further.
The new tests focused on a highly accurate custom locking system capable of connecting to specific points with millimeter precision, using standalone programming based on a trial and error algorithm to ensure that they connect correctly to their target. The first use case identified by MIT in Amsterdam is the day-to-day garbage collection, where they could serve as mini-barges operating the canal to quickly and easily evacuate garbage left behind by residents and landowners. stores.
In the longer term, the goal is to see what additional configurations might be possible, including larger platforms that can accommodate people on board and "tentacle-like rubber clips that tighten around the pin." – like a squid grabbing its prey 'locking mechanism in a way inspired by a somewhat terrifying visual.
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