Researchers develop robot chest capable of picking up objects

In another disturbing example of biomimicry, engineering researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney took inspiration from an elephant’s trunk and designed what looks more like an robotic tongue which can grip objects firmly by wrapping them around them like a snake.

Biomimicry is an approach to engineering that takes inspiration from the natural world around us instead of trying to reinvent the wheel for machines and robots. Mother Nature has already spent millions of years perfecting her designs through a slow process of adaptation and evolution, resulting in plant and animal life well suited to the unique terrain and landscapes of our planet. That’s why one of the most advanced robotic design companies on the planet, Boston Robotics, designed its Spot to look and function like a dog, and his Atlas to move like a human parkour master.

It’s also why researchers at the University of New South Wales – or UNSW – took inspiration from animals like snakes and elephants to create a flexible robotic gripper made of soft fabric that can wrap around objects for them. Hold and lift them securely without causing damage in process. An elephant’s trunk can have up to 40,000 muscles that it uses to manipulate its long appendix with surprising dexterity, as well as millions of nerve endings that allow it to feel what it is gripping in order to know how much pressure to apply.

The clamp doesn’t have as much muscle as an elephant’s trunk – zero, to be exact – but rather relies on materials that change their structure from rigid to flexible as heating and cooling does. applied, and by superimposing fabrics with different heat-sensitive properties, the artificial trunk can roll up. The gripper also incorporates a real-time force sensor that is 15 times more sensitive than previous applications of the technology, allowing the robot to know by sensation alone when a smooth grip is needed. While the gripper is a great example of biomimicry, it is also designed to be an alternative to more traditional robotic grippers designed and built to function like a human’s hand using multiple fingers that can bend with limited mobility.

As much as we like to think that we, as humans, represent Mother Nature’s most optimal design, the ability of this clamp to wrap completely around an object such as a handle improves contact with the surface and increases its holding force, making it more difficult for an object under weight from accidentally slipping out of the gripper socket. The design also improves where this clamp can grab things, which is a benefit anyone who has ever lost something in the cracks next to a car seat can appreciate. Its ability to roll up and unwind in tight spaces, such as inside a narrow tube, gives this design great potential in real world applications, such as its use for non-invasive medical procedures. assuming the technology can be miniaturized.

The researchers are optimistic their robot-safe could be on the market in less than a year, assuming they find an “industry partner” who can help them solve manufacturing problems. As to who would buy it? Aside from industrial and medical uses, imagine a tool that easily retrieves fries that have fallen while driving? Someone is going to make a small fortune with this thing.