Biomimetics
Cockroaches are able to run extremely quickly and can avoid or climb over obstacles without slowing down due to their flexible body and legs with different lengths, structures and orientations (Delcomyn, 2008; Paulson, 2004). They have been filmed with high-speed video cameras running at speeds of up to 1ms-1 while turning and twisting up to 25 times per second (Gullan & Cranston, 2005). Robots originally made based on engineering knowledge were designed with six legs of the same size and shape, and a rigid body, however these robots struggled to climb over obstacles around half of their height (Delcomyn, 2008). Newer robots have been designed using the mechanical system of a cockroach as inspiration, including the iSprawl (pictured in the header above) where the traditional fast computational methods of achieving rapid movement have been exchanged for cockroaches’ evolved methods (Delcomyn, 2008; Paulson, 2004). The small robot, only 115mm, long mimics the tripod gait used by cockroaches for support and speed, traveling up to 15 body lengths per second (Paulson, 2004).
Click the video below to see the iSprawl running.
Click the video below to see the iSprawl running.
The iSprawl is part of the “Sprawl” family of small hexapedal robot prototypes that have been biomimetically designed to facilitate further studies of locomotion dynamics, leg design and leg arrangement in the hope that this information will improve future robotic designs (Centre for Design Research, 2012). Roboticists, engineers and biologists collaborated to create the family of robots and have made significant improvements in the designing of robots (Centre for Design Research, 2012). These robots have many significant uses once they become developed for the general public and/or private businesses such as surveillance, lighting, surgical apparatus, cleaning of high or hard to reach areas and recreational activities (Paulson, 2004). This step forward in robotics not only yields significant advances in artificial intelligence, it also reminds biologists that however much we learn about nature, there is always more to be learnt; even when it comes to something as seemingly simple as the way an insect walks.