2023-07-05 16:20:07
American researchers have created M4, a real Transformer capable of reconfiguring itself to change the mode of locomotion. The researchers were inspired by choukar partridges and crested hoatzins which use their wings to help themselves run, or even sea lions which use their fins to walk.
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Dronedrones are generally limited to one means of locomotion, such as flying or taxiing, which limits their possible use. In order to make robots more versatile, researchers from l’institut Caltech in the United States have succeeded in creating a device capable of transforming itself in order to choose among different modes of locomotion by selecting the most efficient or the most suitable for the situation.
A detailed article regarding the robot has been published in the journal Nature Communications. Called M4 (Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot), it incorporates an artificial intelligence to determine which mode to choose. It has four wheels in order to roll on the ground like a carcar, its most energy efficient mode. However, these wheels can rotate 90 degrees and also contain propellers, turning the M4 into a flying drone.
Introducing Caltech’s M4 robot that can transform to roll on the ground or fly. In English, enable automatic translation of subtitles. © Nature
Multiple modes of transport
The device can also stand upright on two wheels, the other two being used to balance it, allowing it to see over an obstacle without flying away. Additionally, the M4 is articulated, allowing it to walk, stoop to get under an obstacle, traverse rough terrain, and even use two wheels to grab an object, like hands. The researchers counted eight distinct modes.
« Our goal was to push the boundaries of robotic locomotion by designing a system that exhibits extraordinary mobility capabilities with a wide range of distinct locomotion modes. said Alireza Ramezani, one of the authors of the article. The researchers hope that the M4 will allow the development of robots specialized in search and rescue, space exploration or simply drone delivery.
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