December 2, 2004

Reconfigurable Robotics in Wired

Faculty member Mark Yim of U-Penn makes Wired with an article on reconfigurable robots. Basically, these are robots that are made up of several identical sub-robots that can join in different ways to reshape themselves. In the past, they had power and mechanical problems with these which may or may not have been solved.

recon_robot.jpg That's the ultimate vision of Mark Yim, a researcher working on the latest generation of shape-shifting robots at the University of Pennsylvania. Instead of single-purpose robots, Yim and several research teams around the world are working on creating mutating machines made out of smart building blocks that can morph into different forms and perform a variety of tasks.

The key word here is versatility. In designing for unpredictable circumstances and strange environments, researchers say it makes sense to have a single, shape-shifting robot that can crawl through small holes, climb stairs, cross gaps or go through rubble.

The robot's first mission is to save lives. Yim's robo-centipede will allow search-and-rescue personnel to look for survivors in a collapsed building by dropping the robot through a 4-inch hole drilled into the wall.

"When a building collapses from an earthquake or a bomb, etc., then digging for survivors is slow and dangerous for both the rescuers and victims," said Craig Eldershaw, a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC. "It's difficult to send in a standard robot, since no one knows what it's going to find there. The robot may have narrow pipes to crawl through, rubble to climb over, and some corridors clear of debris where it should try to make good time in moving. But a reconfigurable robot can change shape and adapt to the environment."

Posted by elkaim at 6:30 PM