Rubbery robot walks through flames and snow. Robotics in recent years developed very actively, and while some robots learn to walk like a man, others seek to survive in extreme conditions. One such development was recently demonstrated by researchers at Harvard University.
Robot - it is quite complex and delicate mechanism that can be easily damaged by a variety of external influences. It is this lack of robots currently struggling Michael Tooley, a member of Harvard University. The researcher has already achieved good results.
His nameless robot that looks like a man who is crawling on their bellies, is able to function properly when the outside temperature is -9 degrees Celsius and survive direct exposure to the flame for 20 seconds. The robot is resistant to water and most acids, thanks to a special protective material of his body. And what a scientist is particularly proud of, it's the fact that the limbs of the robot can be several times to drive a car, but it will continue to move forward properly. Of course, if you hide the external electronic components and wires into a soft protective coating - protection will be more complete, but the researcher starts small.
The robot does not have a rigid frame that is what makes him invulnerable to pressure and strong shock. It moves at the expense of the compressor system and compressed air, which is served in his limbs, causing them to move in the correct sequence. On a single charge the robot is able to operate for more than two hours.
What is the meaning of such developments? In the first such robots will be interesting to rescuers and firefighters who have to deal with the need to navigate through a very narrow space, such as a flat robot is able to squeeze in almost any crack even under the burning debris.
The author of the present invention is sure that he has started a new era of "soft robots" that are already in the near future will learn to jump, slide on flat surfaces and even capture small objects. Its aim is to further improve the parameters of their offspring, such as speed and mobility. The robot also learn to identify and react to obstacles in their path.
