Cyber-Cockroach And Robo-Bird Team Up To Prove Anything Is Possible

[Fanghawk]

Cyber-Cockroach And Robo-Bird Team Up To Prove Anything Is Possible

One is a robot bird that can't travel by land. The other is a cyber-cockroach that cannot fly. When they work together, they can surpass any obstacle.

These days, a significant number of <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/robots>modern robots are designed <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140934-Science-Designs-Robot-That-Can-Walk-With-Broken-Legs>with biological principles in mind. Why bother thinking up new legs when you can base working models from animals, or reimagine flight when you can just mimic birds? Most of the time that's just simple pragmatism, but now it's allowed for something wonderful - a robotic cockroach and bird tag-team. Constructed by UC Berkeley's Biomimetic Millisystems Lab, this partnership shows how robots can work together to bypass obstacles while looking like best friends in the process.

Dubbed the H2Bird and the VelociRoACH, these robots work together to travel by land and air. The bird starts from a latched position on the roach's back as it speeds ahead to its destination. When the time is right, the bird detaches into an independent unit and flaps its little cyber-heart out as it rises into the air. The VelociRoACH is a necessary part of the flight however - it needs to achieve a minimum velocity of 1.2 m/s to ensure a successful launch.

So what's the practical point to all of this? In short, while we're great at building robots for land travel and robots for air travel, combining the two isn't so easy. It's like taking an airplane and using it as a land vehicle - severely impractical on multiple levels. Based on Berkeley's report, building independent robotic units that work together is more efficient and makes it easier to navigate a wider variety of obstacles. But even if that wasn't the point, having two robots that sound like science superheroes working together is still incredibly awesome.

Source: <a href=http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ronf/PAPERS/crose-icra15.pdf>IEEE Spectrum, via <a href=http://gizmodo.com/robotic-cockroaches-are-perfect-tiny-aircraft-carriers-1706906627>Gizmodo

Permalink

 

[crimson5pheonix]

You missed your chance to call it a ro-bird.

 

[FalloutJack]

Please tell me the end result of all this is to create some real-life Zoids that people can ride in.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

This is a moral breach though and I'm pretty sure most of Europe would be shouting at those practices.

I'm in the US so Europe's opinion doesn't matter, they hate that we have the death penalty in the first place.

 

[llubtoille]

It's like that x-files episode, where the space-robo-cockroaches start killing people.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

This is a moral breach though and I'm pretty sure most of Europe would be shouting at those practices.

I'm in the US so Europe's opinion doesn't matter, they hate that we have the death penalty in the first place.

Guess the plot of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance seems more likely than I thought than.

Captcha: "too many secrets" You know something, don't you?

Yeah to be honest it was just me thinking of a few too many sci-fi movies not anything serious. It's funny how often we blur the line between science fiction and science fact.

 

[loa]

Why is combining flight with land travel impractical?
Have they not figured out foldable wings yet?
Flies, mosquitoes, wasps and ants do it all the time, maybe they should study something that does both at the same time naturally instead of roaches and birds and then trying to mash those together if they can't figure out the entire ins and outs of only 2 bird legs.

If anything those 2 separate modules for flight and land travel are impractical.
There's a river there that can't be crossed by land, bye bye legs, gotta leave you behind.
So why not go full bird, mostly fly and then move short distances hopping around awkwardly on dinky ass legs when flight is absolutely not an option or full cockroach and not having to carry that thing with its huge air resistance that slows you down around?

Cause unless that bird is the next incarnation of propelled, guided explosives I don't see the applicability.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

the creators of Yuka-Laylee should sue for IP infringement.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

i can't find any evidence of any sort that it's a living cockroach, and nobody else seems to be calling this point out.

here is a better view of VelociRoach
http://www.gizmag.com/velociroach-fast-insect-robot/25795/

 

[Xan Krieger]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

i can't find any evidence of any sort that it's a living cockroach, and nobody else seems to be calling this point out.

here is a better view of VelociRoach
http://www.gizmag.com/velociroach-fast-insect-robot/25795/

ooooohhhh that's much more humane than the cockroaches I saw with "implants".

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

i can't find any evidence of any sort that it's a living cockroach, and nobody else seems to be calling this point out.

here is a better view of VelociRoach
http://www.gizmag.com/velociroach-fast-insect-robot/25795/

ooooohhhh that's much more humane than the cockroaches I saw with "implants".

i agree. though, as much of an animal lover as i am, i never hesitate when it comes to killing most insects. it's a double standard, i know, but it's just the way i tend to be.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

i can't find any evidence of any sort that it's a living cockroach, and nobody else seems to be calling this point out.

here is a better view of VelociRoach
http://www.gizmag.com/velociroach-fast-insect-robot/25795/

ooooohhhh that's much more humane than the cockroaches I saw with "implants".

i agree. though, as much of an animal lover as i am, i never hesitate when it comes to killing most insects. it's a double standard, i know, but it's just the way i tend to be.

I'm the same way with bugs, I've got enough bites all over my legs. You'd think the bug world could wait till I'm dead before they begin eating me.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Isn't that a living cockroach? Made me wonder if we could reprogram prisoners that way for manual labor purposes, ones who normally would be sentenced to death but through a little technology can still do some good.

i can't find any evidence of any sort that it's a living cockroach, and nobody else seems to be calling this point out.

here is a better view of VelociRoach
http://www.gizmag.com/velociroach-fast-insect-robot/25795/

ooooohhhh that's much more humane than the cockroaches I saw with "implants".

i agree. though, as much of an animal lover as i am, i never hesitate when it comes to killing most insects. it's a double standard, i know, but it's just the way i tend to be.

I'm the same way with bugs, I've got enough bites all over my legs. You'd think the bug world could wait till I'm dead before they begin eating me.

right? like, i thought we had a deal! bugs and bacteria can fuck off for now, but when i'm dead, it's all you man! set up a theme park, and make sure to visit Pirates of the Pancreas.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

It's like that x-files episode, where the space-robo-cockroaches start killing people.

the tobacco beetles? it's been awhile since i've marathon'd X-Files, so I'm sure there's some gaps in my knowledge, but i definitely remember the tobacco beetles.