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
 |
Robotic Tentacle Manipulator
The Robotic Tentacle Manipulator is a development project that makes use of snake robotics research at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
The subsystem comes equipped with sophisticated electronic sensors, among them laser detection and ranging, or LADAR, to render 3-D representations of object shapes and physical properties like faces, mass and center of mass.
This snake-robot is scalable; it can be built however large or small as a subsystem to a larger platform like iRobot's rugged system Warrior, which travels over rough terrain and climbs stairs. The number of tentacles or snakes determines the breadth or scope of its search capabilities. The number of links on each of those tentacles supports each snake's length or reach into an area, as well as its ability to crawl, swim, climb or shimmy through narrow spaces all while transmitting images to the Soldier who is operating the system.
( Robotic Tentacle Manipulator )
"The technology is leading to more than just the very tip of the snake being used in the object manipulation effect," said Derek Scherer, a researcher who works within ARL's Vehicle Technology Directorate."Consider that snakes push off rocks or roots to propel their bodies. We are using this same concept in development."
Scherer said that with increased manipulator dexterity, Soldiers can offload more tasks to the robotic platform. "When the platform is tasked with inspecting a potential IED threat, the extreme adaptability of the tentacle manipulator will allow the platform to rummage with precision," he said.
Its 'touch sensitivity' allows the snake-robot to balance objects and feel where forces are being applied as it rotates devices.
"It allows it to lift and reposition objects, including IEDs, for examination, and do so in a controlled fashion that is unlikely to detonate any ordnance." Scherer noted. "These same capabilities would improve inspections during cargo and checkpoint missions."
H.G. Wells was the first to write about this kind of snake robotic manipulators in his 1898 blockbuster War of the Worlds:
Seen nearer, the Thing was incredibly strange, for it was no mere insensate machine driving on its way. Machine it was, with a ringing metallic pace, and long, flexible, glittering tentacles (one of which gripped a young pine tree) swinging and rattling about its strange body.
(Read more about Wells' steel tentacles)
If you turn the Robot Tentacle Manipulator upside down, and make it big enough to straddle a house, the U.S. military would have the tripod from the story (see the illustration from the 1906 edition of Wells' story below).
( Tripod from War of the Worlds [1906 illustration] )
Carnegie Mellon has a remarkable record in developing snake robotics; slither over to these articles to find out more:
- Modular Snake Robot's Unique Gaits
Sidewinding, rolling, swimming, pipe tube climbing, pole climbing and more! - CardioArm - Snakelike Surgical Robot
Using just a single incision, the CardioArm robot can be pushed into the body.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/29/2010)
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 ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.' Robert Heinlein, 1962.
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.' - Raymond Z. Gallun, 1936.
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...' - Boris Zhitkov, 1931.
Robot Snakes No Longer Stopped By Stairs
'...she dropped her hands from the wheel, took the robot snake from his box.' - Lee Chaytor, 1958.
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
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'
Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
