Climbing robot throws its weight around

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http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13508

A robot called Capuchin scales vertical walls using four limbs that can shift its weight to stay balanced, it and other climbing robots could be key to uncovering the geology of Mars.

Video courtesy Teresa Miller, Stanford University and Dennis Hong, Virginia Tech

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• robots
• Mars
• aviation
• space
• computer
• mechanics
• new
• scientist
• newscientist

[TKuja1]

Needs teeth

[stewartx5]

Of course, the robot shown is a far cry from truly useful in the real world. Each of it's movements have been carefully programmed to match a fixed surface, which is why each arm goes straight to each "rock" without searching.

In a real environment, the terrain is not so predictable, requiring much greater capabilities (some type of sight, feel, decision making, etc). Those greater capabilities are the true barriers.

[OpTicBossaru]

why dont thay just throw a big rock on the top and climb up the rope?

[Fiddebra]

@elliments Well robots run via a program where it has to fulfill one step before it starts performing a new one. So each movment it does has to have a reference point that has to be fullfilled before it can move on in its program, and that makes it slow and choppy.

[SmokingCures]

@stewartx5 That is not true at all. Just from watching the video i learned that the robot maps its own route with laser technology.

[OlCapitain]

@TheMatttj Actually, robots now are allowing surgeons to conduct surgery on the other side of the world, helping find avalanche victims, and many other useful things that are too numerous to list right now. At the current technological advancement rate, we will have robots saving lives autonomously within 20 years. The only thing stopping it is funds atm, but with breakthroughs like this, the funds will come pouring in soon. Learn to think before typing. Or at least spend 5 minutes on google.

[OlCapitain]

@stewartx5 Not quite, first i believe it chooses the path itself. Second, even if it were to have its path pre-programed, it would take little effort for someone with the right equipment to scan a rockface, use a program, and program the route into the robot.

[KineticColor]

But will it blend?

[markthe5hark8]

works better than in GIRP

[die101]

wow she's hot 0:08