2023-05-07 13:11:13
A new kind of plant-inspired robot is being developed in Italy. Using a 3D printing system, the researchers managed to create plastic “roots” that grow into the ground.
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After robots inspired by insects, fish, dogs and other animals, here is a whole new type of robot inspired by plants. This project, which may seem somewhat absurd at first glance, is the brainchild of Barbara Mazzolai, biologist and engineer. It is currently being developed at Italian Institute of Technology.
The idea is to create roots that grow into the ground. The robot uses the principle of filament 3D printers. The root is made up of one end mounted on bearings, which can rotate independently of the rest. A first motor in the robot sends a plastic filament towards the end. Just behind this end is a resistor that heats the filament to make it soft and sticky and a second motor that forces the filament out through a small hole.
In the same laboratory, Barbara Mazzolai is developing plantoid robots capable of rooting themselves in the ground by detecting the humidity level. © Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
3D printed roots
The plastic filament is deposited behind the end by twisting to form a tube, much like wrapping a rope around a stick. Each new layer sticks to the old one before cooling and solidifying. The pressure will force the tip to move forward little by little in the ground, thus making the root “grow”. Rather than forcing through obstacles like a drill, the stem will follow through cracks like plant roots. Such a device might be used for environmental monitoring, for example to measure the concentrations of toxic products in the soil, or to find water in arid soils.
But Barbara Mazzolai’s real goal is space exploration. She hopes that eventually her idea can be used to anchor exploration robots to the ground, whether on Mars or a comet, and to analyze the ground, or even fertilize it. The robot-plants might also be used to “grow” a network of pipes, through which it would be possible to pass cables or liquid. This would, for example, make it possible to create an infrastructure ahead of the arrival of the first astronauts on Mars.
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