Squishybots: Soft, Bendy and Smarter Than Ever
New Scientist (11/16/11) Justin Mullins
A squishy, tentacled configuration may be an accurate design model for future robots, as a rigid humanoid shape is proving impractical for many of the tasks people want robots to perform. A key element of such designs is morphological computing, a discipline that holds that a robot's intelligence can be enhanced through the optimization of its body's interaction with its environment. This represents an inversion of conventional thinking, which dictates that an organism has a central processing capability where intelligence in housed, and its body's interaction with its surroundings demonstrates that intelligence. Using the embodied intelligence approach, researchers in Pisa, Italy, are building a soft, rubbery robot octopus equipped with appendages whose grasping ability exceeds that of the most advanced robots. Another speculative application of morphological computing principles is a soft robot surgeon concept that Kings College London researchers are studying. The robot would enter the body through a natural orifice or incision, pass soft tissues and organs without impediment, and harden once in place. The advantage of the embodied intelligence strategy is that the robots will be ideally suited for the job at hand.
New Scientist (11/16/11) Justin Mullins
A squishy, tentacled configuration may be an accurate design model for future robots, as a rigid humanoid shape is proving impractical for many of the tasks people want robots to perform. A key element of such designs is morphological computing, a discipline that holds that a robot's intelligence can be enhanced through the optimization of its body's interaction with its environment. This represents an inversion of conventional thinking, which dictates that an organism has a central processing capability where intelligence in housed, and its body's interaction with its surroundings demonstrates that intelligence. Using the embodied intelligence approach, researchers in Pisa, Italy, are building a soft, rubbery robot octopus equipped with appendages whose grasping ability exceeds that of the most advanced robots. Another speculative application of morphological computing principles is a soft robot surgeon concept that Kings College London researchers are studying. The robot would enter the body through a natural orifice or incision, pass soft tissues and organs without impediment, and harden once in place. The advantage of the embodied intelligence strategy is that the robots will be ideally suited for the job at hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment