RoboticsTop Five most awesome robots
In the last decade, robots have often been employed on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, usually to seek out hidden bombs. More and more of these the robots are now being adopted by first response agencies to help in search-and-rescue operations in the wake of disasters. The growing interest in – and usefulness of — robotics have also inspired a series of competitions and challenges, some of which are directed at high-school and college students, to encourage budding scientists to go into the field of robotics.
They were a menace to mankind in the sci-fi movies of the mid-twentieth century. But now robots come in all shapes and sizes and they are generally seen as a positive force — charged with the task of making life easier for their human colleagues.
In the last decade, robots have often been employed on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, usually to seek out hidden bombs.
DARPA and research agencies across the world are marching on with the development of machines that can carry, lift, survey, film, follow, and even fire. Here is IDGA.org’s roundup of five of the coolest robots.
1. ATLAS
He is 6ft 2in, weighs in at 330 pounds, packs a mighty punch, and is one of DARPA’s most advanced humanoid robots ever built.
His arms stretch wider than a car and he can walk up stairs, stay upright after getting hit with heavy objects, and maneuver around obstacles in his path.
Atlas has been developed by Boston Dynamics and will be competing in DARPA’s Robotics Challenge in Miami in December 2013.
But it is not all fun and games for ATLAS, and there is a serious side to DARPA’s robotics program.
The Challenge aims to advance the technology necessary to create robots capable of assisting first responders in times of disaster.
2. BigDog
BigDog handles heavy objects. The idea is to use the strength of the legs and torso to help power motions of the arm.
This sort of dynamic, whole-body approach to manipulation is used routinely by human athletes and is being used to enhance the performance of advanced robots.
Boston Dynamics is developing the control and actuation techniques needed for dynamic manipulation. In a company’s video, BigDog is seen throwing cinderblocks that weigh about 35 lbs. The best throw is a bit more than 17 ft. The research is funded by the Army Research Laboratory’s RCTA program.
3. Throwables
It is only 4.3 inches long and 9 inches wide, but when the going gets tough the rugged little throwable robot named 110 FirstLook really does get going.
It was built by iRobot to provide rapid situational awareness and to investigate confined spaces. After it has been tossed into a building or over a wall, it moves via a wireless operator control unit, sending back video of the scene to the control unit’s five-inch LCD screen.
Originally it was developed for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the robot has proved particularly popular with police departments.
The 110 FirstLook, which weighs just over five pounds, is built to withstand drops of up to sixteen feet and can work in water up to three feet.
With a price tag of just under $20,000, it will not be found in too many Christmas stockings, but iRobot has apparently sold more than 500 during in the past year, with about a fifth of those going to the police.
4. T-52 Rescue Dragon
Officially known as the T-52 Enryu, (Enryu means “rescue dragon”) it stands 11ft tall and has its controls inside its belly.
But this Japanese monster is a force for good, helping the rescue efforts after natural disasters such as earthquakes and avalanches.
Unveiled in 2004, the Transformer-like robot has a bulldozer-style base and weighs six tons.
Each arm can lift 1,100 pounds and its crab-like claws can grasp and hoist heavy objects including steel girders, slabs of cement and cars.
5. LS3 (The Following Robot)
The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is a rough-terrain robot developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps.
It is designed to carry 400lbs of payload and travel twenty miles without refueling.
LS3 automatically follows its leader using computer vision, so it does not need a dedicated driver. It also travels to designated locations using terrain sensing and GPS. LS3 began a 2-year field testing phase in 2012. LS3 is funded by DARPA and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Boston Dynamics has assembled an extraordinary team to develop the LS3, including engineers and scientists from Boston Dynamics, Carnegie Mellon, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Bell Helicopter, AAI Corporation, and Woodward HRT.
The article was first published by IDGA
