Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
SuperBot Modular Robot Connects With NASA
SuperBot is a modular, multifunctional and reconfigurable robot, designed by Dr. Wei-Min
Shen and his team at the Information Sciences Institute at USC. You might say that SuperBot is
really a set of individual robots that work together to move around and solve problems. Dr. Shen
has been awarded more than $8 million in grants from NASA, DARPA and the NSF to continue his
research, including constructing a 100 module prototype to demonstrate how SuperBot might be used
in space exploration.
(SuperBot youtube video ([skip to 1 minute mark])
Dr. Shen points out the limits of the current set of robotic devices used for space exploration:
One of the most challenging issues for human-centered long-range space exploration is performing complex tasks in environments that are not human-friendly.... the traditional approach of building separate robots for separate tasks (such as the Canada Arm and surface rovers) may no longer be adequate for affordable space exploration as the required robotic tasks become diverse and the need to pack many functionalities into a single launch volume increases.
Dr. Shen proposes the SuperBot modules as a way to meet this goal. Each module is a "robot" in its own right, with microcontrollers, sensors, communications, power supply, three degrees of freedom and six connecting faces to dynamically connect with other modules. At launch, or when landing, SuperBot can pack itself into a minimum amount of space.
(SuperBot modular robot)
Upon arrival, SuperBot can unpack itself and take any of a wide variety of forms. For example, it might form several exploration rovers, one SuperBot capable of rolling down hill, another twisting "sidewinder-style" over level sand while another forms a SuperBot climbing robot to take on more challenging terrain.
(SuperBot forms 'sidewinder' snakebot)
SuperBot will help NASA to reduce costs and simplify operations by reusing robotic components from mission to mission. If the robotic modules are truly interchangeable and interoperable, the need for redundant parts on a given mission can be reduced, thus lowering payload mass and cost. Mission reliabilty and safety would be enhanced, since the modules themselves would know how to perform tasks, and would require less active direction from astronauts or ground crews.
Dr. Shen hopes to have his 100 module SuperBot operational and ready for testing in a desert environment by 2008.
The following articles provide more information about similar robots:
- Self-Replicating Modular Robots
Each ten centimeter cube is an autonomous unit with a microprocessor and a set of instructions on how to link themselves with other modules. - TETWalker: Shape-Shifting Robot Swarm
This bot is a prototype member of an autonomous nanotechnology swarm that can alter their shape to flow smoothly over rocky terrain.
Update 08-Feb-2017
Golden Age legend Jack Williamson wrote a great story titled The Infinite Enemy, published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1938, in which an alternate universe is found to contain a being comprised of metallic cubes.
End update.
Read more at the SuperBot press release and in this short SuperBot project abstract (pdf).
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/25/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
Robot With Human Brain Organoid - 'A Thrilling Story Of Mechanistic Progress'
'A human brain snugly encased in a transparent skull-shaped receptacle.' - Otis Adelbert Kline, 1936.
Optimus Robot Will Be A Good Nanny, Says Musk
'Nanny is different,' Tom Fields murmured... 'she's not like a machine. She's like a person.' - Philip K. Dick, 1955.
LORIS Passive-Gripper Climbing Robot
'At the end of each appendage's eight fingers there are tinier appendages...' - Ken MacLeod, 2003.
Athena Smart Security Guard Robot With Face Recognition
'You are who we say you are, Dr. Dakin,' Turner said.' - Greg Bear, 2003.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Cognify - A Prison Of The Mind We've Seen Before In SF
'So I serve a hundred years in one day...'
Robot With Human Brain Organoid - 'A Thrilling Story Of Mechanistic Progress'
'A human brain snugly encased in a transparent skull-shaped receptacle.'
Goodness Gracious Me! Google Tries Face Recognition Security
'The actuating mechanism that should have operated by the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell...'
With Mycotecture, We'll Just Grow The Space Habitats We Need
'The only real cost was in the plastic balloon that guided the growth of the coral and enclosed the coral's special air-borne food.'
Can A Swarm Of Deadly Drones Take Out An Aircraft Carrier?
'The border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
WiFi and AI Team Up To See Through Walls
'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
Climate Engineering In California Could Make Europe's Heat Waves Worse
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
Optimus Robot Will Be A Good Nanny, Says Musk
'Nanny is different,' Tom Fields murmured... 'she's not like a machine. She's like a person.'
ESA To Build Moon Bases Brick By Printed LEGO Brick
'We made a crude , small cell and were delighted - and, I admit, somewhat surprised - to find it worked.'
Does The Shortage Of Human Inputs Limit AI Development?
'...we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
Textiles That Harvest Energy And Store It
'The clothes and jewelery drew their tiny power requirements from her movements.'
LORIS Passive-Gripper Climbing Robot
'At the end of each appendage's eight fingers there are tinier appendages...'
Neuroplatform Human Brain Organoid Bioprocessor Uses Less Electricity
'Cultured brains on a slab.'
Drug To Regenerate Teeth In Humans
'We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,' said lead researcher Katsu Takahashi.
Coin-Sized Nuclear Battery Good For 100 Years
'...power pack the size of a pea.'
Live Stream With Meta-Ban Multimodal Smart Glasses
'...the bug-eyed, opaque gape of her True-Vu lenses.'
