We here at Cosmic Variance have long been warning of the coming robot menace. Not only are they gaining consciousness, they keep developing new and creepy ways to move. Along those lines, here’s a new robot from Harvard that looks like an innocent piece of plastic, but is actually a silent ninja with a variety of interesting gaits. (Via Mariette DiChristina’s Twitter.)
Soft Robot Walking and Crawling
Researchers at George Whiteside’s lab explain that the idea came from observing squid and worms. Well, that’s comforting.
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15 responses to “The Amorphous Menace Creeps Forward”
http://www.ted.com/talks/a_robot_that_flies_like_a_bird.html
Another development in robotics in South Korea: robots as prison guards:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-11/robotic-guards-will-soon-patrol-south-korean-prison
When I first saw it I thought — squid. It looks like it is connected by air hoses only
making me wonder what kind of feedback is available for learning?
I’d scream, if I had a mouth.
[…] It may look like a simple piece of plastic, but this robot has the moves! In fact, that’s what it is for -to test out news ways for a robot to move. Developed by researchers at Harvard University, this soft robot was inspired by the movements of squid and worms. Link -via Cosmic Variance […]
looks like a dildo but a flat one that can move xD
A shape with… / A gaze blank and pitiless as the Sun / Is moving its slow thighs… / And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches… to be born?
What’s not to love about squid?
About those South Korean prison guard robots: I doubt they’ll last two weeks — unless the inmates they’ll be guarding are highly untypical.
Two things right off the bat: Fragile radio antenna, and nothing to protect the camera lenses. Just pull a sock over the lenses and they’re useless.
Harvard is weird, I’ll say that. Robot guards? Even weirder.
nice moves
Clever! but I so want to see what that wire is connected to..what a tease!
My wife can do that.
I concur with the earlier comment about squid! It looks incredibly like a cephalopod – at least the end result of one when its ready for the plate!
Absolutely incredible. Looking at the video it almost appears like it is thinking or deliberating in its movements or struggle to get to its destination.
Quite cool — robots continue to advance in locomotive abilities. Of course, the key on one like this is when they’ll be able to unattach the air hoses, power, computer cables etc. that i assume all go through the connection. Tiny invertebrates can do all this already — with of course, a several billion year headstart, via evolution. But when will humans fully catch up to even them..?! Could be a while, yet. But i still take nothing away from what these researchers have achieved so far – very cool.