All About the Walking Robot That is Pneumatically-Powered
There is no denying that the world of robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the way forward for the 4th Industrial Revolution and will become an everyday feature in our lives, more and more.
This invention from founding father Mike T. Trolley, who is the team lead on the project developed by the Jacobs School of Engineering in San Diego, USA, promises to pave the way forward for robotics to become fully operational via compressed air or pneumatic power.
The aim is to fully optimize robotics, whether it be for toys or other appliances, in that it will be transformed into intelligent devices that don’t require any form of electronics to be able to operate at their intended level.
All About this Robot
This particular type of robot that is being developed is dubbed a soft robot. The unique selling point of these types of robotics is that they can adapt to almost any kind of environment and at a low cost. Another big drawing card is that they display a friendliness towards humans in being safe to be operated around them.
This soft robot operates and moves employing four oscillators that are filled with compressed air and that control the movement and direction of the device. It also comes complete with mechanical sensors that, when disturbed, advises the robot to change direction.
The robot has three legs with three separate muscles that are being powered by pneumatic pressure. The legs or chambers are each shaped at a 45-degree downward angle to support its movement. When each chamber is pressurized, that corresponding limb will move in an opposite direction. The limbs are also able to move in both an anticlockwise as well as a clockwise direction.
What is Next?
The next phase of the project will entail working on a solution that allows the soft robot to walk on different and uneven surfaces successfully. However, this is quite a complex task and will require research into simplifying the process and developing a new range of sensors.
Resource:https://www.manufacturing.net/home/news/21283906/walking-robot-controlled-powered-by-air
