Researchers build robot that can walk, drive, and even fly
Scientists from Caltech have designed a unique bio-inspired robot called 'Morphobot' (or M4, short for Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot). What's special about this remote-controlled robot is that it can change its shape to navigate through different environments to drive, fly, crawl, walk, and even tumble. Notably, it is equipped with AI which allows it to inspect the surroundings and take the preferred course of action.
The robot is inspired by nature
The robot draws inspiration from animals with extraordinary locomotive capabilities like meerkats which roll back on their hind legs to get better views and chukar birds that use their wings to climb inclined surfaces. M4 has four legs, each with two joints and fans at their ends. According to the research paper, it is powered by a Jetson Nano CPU, NVIDIA's miniature computer.
The robot weighs about 6kg and is 70cm long
M4 weighs about 6kg and measures 70cm long, with a height and width of 35cm. The fan design we mentioned earlier allows the robot to exhibit a wide range of movements. These fans can quickly transition to serve as legs, propeller thrusters, or wheels to the robot in order to suit the needs of the moment.
Here are some of the impressive capabilities of M4
According to the press release, M4 can "achieve eight distinct types of motion," These include walking, climbing steep slopes, and tumbling over obstacles. It can scale heights by flying and can make its way through low-ceiling pathways by crawling. In addition, if it has to get a better view of something ahead, it can push itself on its two wheels, using them like feet.
Such robots could be useful in rescue operations
Robots like M4 could be useful in rescue operations after natural disasters for transporting injured individuals to hospitals. In addition, it could find a number of applications including space exploration missions, probing other planets, and automated delivery services. Mory Gharib, from Caltech, along with Alireza Ramezani, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University are the masterminds behind the robot's design.
