Roboticists from across Europe showcased the most advanced biomimetic robots so far at the Robot SafariEU, an event organized by the Science Museum of London. The Robot SafariEU offered its visitors a special experience with a unique landscape of synthetic creatures able to run very fast like robot cheetah, stretch their wings like the rob-bat, crawl like the robot salamander, swim like a fish or like the robotic turtle U-CAT that is built to explore the deep seas.The development of these biomimetic robots can help to advance our understating of nature since they can be used to test theories about natural systems. They can also provide useful and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. These are also some of the goals of the Convergent Science Network [CSN], a EU coordination action that directly contributes to this ambition by advancing the definition, federation and consolidation of research in the Future and Emerging Technology area of Neuro- and Bioinspired systems -
see some examples of the 13 robots shown at the London museum, Robot SafariEU
BatTbot T and iTuna
The Bat Bot uses extremely light artificial muscles to move its arms. Its wings change shape during flight to make more efficient maneuvers. Robotics & Cybernetics Research Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. (in cooperation with Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at Brown University)
iTuna
iTuna Fish robot is an underwater creatures capable of high performance movements in water. This enables the robot to monitor underwater environments without disturbing local fish. It is light and noiseless, and uses artificial muscles to move. It is developed by the Robotics & Cybernetics Research Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Pleurobot and Amphibot III
Based on a salamander, Pleurobot can swim, crawl and walk. It is one of the newest biomimetic robots (2013), and it is used in research that investigates fine motor skills, and the transition from water to land, in early tetrapod locomotion. Credits: Konstantinos Karakasiliotis & Robin Thandiackal, BioRob, EPFL, 2013
The Amphibot III is an amphibious robot based on elongated fish, like eels and lampreys. It can swim as fast as a human and future versions of the Amphibot could help to monitor water quality and pollution in lakes. Biorobotics Laboratory BioRob EPFL
U-CAT robot
The U-CAT is a turtle-based archaeology robot designed to dive to dangerous depths. Conventional underwater robots use propellers for locomotion. The fin-like propulsors of the U-CAT can drive the robot in all directions without disturbing the water and beating up silt from the bottom, which would decrease visibility inside the shipwreck”, says Taavi Salumäe, the designer of the U-CAT concept and researcher at the Centre for Biorobotics, Tallinn University of Technology.
Cheetah-cub
The Cheetah-cub developed at EPFL STI IBI BIOROB, is the fastest sub-30kg quadruped robot in the world, reaching 1.42m/s (six body lengths per second). Lightweight, compact and self-stabilising, the robot mimics the cat’s legs and is currently being used to investigate the mechanics of cat locomotion. [photo: © EPFL]
Jessiko
Jessiko is a luminous robotic fish. In a shoal it shows how robots can work together and may be useful for studying the behaviour of real fish. This robot is developed by robotswim
