Harvard researchers build flexible robot that can crawl, slither under a pane of glass

[woo me with science]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/harvard-researchers-build-flexible-robot-that-can-crawl-slither-under-a-pane-of-glass/2011/11/28/gIQAzbSm6N_story.html

Harvard researchers build flexible robot that can crawl, slither under a pane of glass
By Associated Press, Published: November 28

LOS ANGELES — Harvard scientists have built a new type of flexible robot that is limber enough to wiggle and worm through tight spaces.

It’s the latest prototype in the growing field of soft-bodied robots. Researchers are increasingly drawing inspiration from nature to create machines that are more bendable and versatile than those made of metal.

The Harvard team, led by chemist George M. Whitesides, borrowed from squids, starfish and other animals without hard skeletons to fashion a small, four-legged rubber robot that calls to mind the clay animation character Gumby.

In recent years, scientists have been tinkering with squishy — sometimes odd-looking — robots designed to squeeze through hard-to-reach cracks after a disaster like an earthquake or navigate rough terrain in the battlefield.

(more at link)

[gristy]

1. A reference to Gumby and no time-lapse video?

Boooooooo!

[woo me with science]

2. Here you go:

Raw Video: Flexible Robot Crawls in Tight Spaces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19OZUQV20E


Oh wait. You meant this one, didn't you? :rofl:

Gumby and Pokey Intro (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj1e3UhQIMA&feature=related

[Response]

3. So they build a robot that does the limbo?

[jberryhill]

4. But can it file a lawsuit?

[DesertFlower]

5. sounds like something out of "the X files".

[Major Hogwash]

6. That robot is just mimicking what we have witnessed in nature - an octupus.

That is the breakthrough.

[woo me with science]

7. This one is amazing, but the most stunning to me is still the bird:

Imagine the uses for domestic spying or stealth warfare:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php/harveywasserman.com/bcnews.go.com/en.wikipedia.org/www.leftyblogs.com/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1758110

http://www.ted.com/talks/a_robot_that_flies_like_a_bird.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-07-26&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email