A clever spider robot will make its way where no one will pass.
Engineers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have unveiled a new mCLARI robot that can change its shape to pass through narrow gaps. This modular robot is only 2 centimeters long and weighs less than a gram, but it can support three times the weight.
The study was led by Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering and graduate student Heiko Kabutz. Their work was awarded the best article in the field of safety, Security and Rescue robots at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Detroit in 2023.
The new version of the robot is 60% smaller and 38% lighter than the previous one, while retaining 80% of the drive power. The robot's speed has also tripled to 60 millimeters per second, which is equal to three body lengths per second. Like its CLARI predecessor, the mCLARI can move in a variety of ways and operate at different frequencies, using multiple gait styles.
The breakthrough in miniaturization was made possible by the origami - like design and lamination technique that Jayaram and his colleagues previously used to create the HAMR-Jr robot. This innovative approach allows you to scale the design without losing mechanical dexterity, bringing the size of robots closer to real-world application needs, including inspection and maintenance of valuable assets such as jet engines.
Kabutz, the lead author of the study, has the ability to assemble and stack microscopic modules of the robot's legs with surgical precision. His interest in robots began in his school years, when he participated in robotics competitions.
Jayaram and his research team study concepts from biology and apply them to create real engineering systems. In his lab, you can find robots modeled after various arthropods, including cockroaches and spiders.
"We're looking to understand why animals are built the way they are and move the way they do, "says Jayaram," and how we can create bioinspired robots that can perform social tasks such as search and rescue, monitoring the environment, or even using them during surgical operations."
Engineers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have unveiled a new mCLARI robot that can change its shape to pass through narrow gaps. This modular robot is only 2 centimeters long and weighs less than a gram, but it can support three times the weight.
The study was led by Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering and graduate student Heiko Kabutz. Their work was awarded the best article in the field of safety, Security and Rescue robots at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Detroit in 2023.
The new version of the robot is 60% smaller and 38% lighter than the previous one, while retaining 80% of the drive power. The robot's speed has also tripled to 60 millimeters per second, which is equal to three body lengths per second. Like its CLARI predecessor, the mCLARI can move in a variety of ways and operate at different frequencies, using multiple gait styles.
The breakthrough in miniaturization was made possible by the origami - like design and lamination technique that Jayaram and his colleagues previously used to create the HAMR-Jr robot. This innovative approach allows you to scale the design without losing mechanical dexterity, bringing the size of robots closer to real-world application needs, including inspection and maintenance of valuable assets such as jet engines.
Kabutz, the lead author of the study, has the ability to assemble and stack microscopic modules of the robot's legs with surgical precision. His interest in robots began in his school years, when he participated in robotics competitions.
Jayaram and his research team study concepts from biology and apply them to create real engineering systems. In his lab, you can find robots modeled after various arthropods, including cockroaches and spiders.
"We're looking to understand why animals are built the way they are and move the way they do, "says Jayaram," and how we can create bioinspired robots that can perform social tasks such as search and rescue, monitoring the environment, or even using them during surgical operations."
