Army Unveils Compressible Robot Based on Cockroach

By Tactical-Life

The following is a release from Jenna Brady, ARL Public Affairs:

Supported by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, University of California-Berkeley researchers have developed a small, crawling robot that mimics a cockroach’s ability to squeeze through confined spaces.

A report by UC Berkeley researchers Dr. Kaushik Jayaram and Dr. Robert Full is featured in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Cockroach exoskeletons inspired them to manufacture an origami-style, soft, legged robot that can move around rapidly in both open and confined spaces.

These spaces include rubble generated by natural disasters and explosions that first responders may not be able to access in emergencies.

The robot, which is palm-sized, is known as CRAM for “compressible robot with articulated mechanisms.”

While currently a prototype, researchers see great possibilities for this insect-inspired technology, which will be tested in real-world disasters when a more robust version is developed.

ARL’s Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology, commonly referred to as MAST, Collaborative Technology Alliance, supports the project. Researchers from the Army, industry and academia comprise the group.

Dr. Brett Piekarski, cooperative-agreement manager of the MAST CTA, said its goal is to develop and explore the underpinning science to …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life