MessageToEagle.com - In the near future this kind of amazing robots will cost just a few dollars.
This robot is made of silicone. It can walk, change color and light up in the dark.
It can even change temperature. For now, it can do all of this for less than $100.
A team of researchers led by George Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor,
has already broken new engineering ground with the development of soft, silicone-based robots inspired
by creatures like starfish and squid and it was already reported in
Harvard Gazette.
The experiments continue and in a development to be reported in the August 17 issue of Science, researchers
led by Drs. George Whitesides and Stephen Morin at Harvard University’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering demonstrated that microfluidic channels in
soft robots enable functions including actuation, camouflage, display, fluid transport and temperature regulation.
Why does this matter to the Department of Defense?
DARPA foresees robots of many shapes and sizes contributing to a wide range of future defense missions,
but robotics is still a young field that has focused much of its attention so far on complex hardware.
In the video above, a soft robot walks onto a bed of rocks and is filled with fluid to match the color
of the rocks and break up the robot’s shape. The robot moves at a speed of approximately 40 meters per hour;
absent the colored fluid, it can move at approximately 67 meters per hour. Future research will focus on smoothing
the movements; however, speed is less important than the robot’s flexibility. Soft robots are useful because they
are resilient and can maneuver through very constrained spaces. Credits: Photo Credits: http://www.darpa.mil
Consequently, the costs associated with robotics are typically very high. What DARPA has achieved with
silicone-based soft robots is development of a very low cost manufacturing method that uses molds.
By introducing narrow channels into the molds through which air and various types of fluids can be pumped,
a robot can be made to change its color, contrast, apparent shape and temperature to blend with its
environment, glow through chemiluminescence, and most importantly, achieve actuation, or movement,
through pneumatic pressurization and inflation of the channels.
In nature, some organisms use bioluminescence to communicate.
DARPA’s soft robot achieves the same glowing effect by pumping chemiluminescent solutions through channels in the
robot’s color layer. Photo Credits: http://www.darpa.mil
The combination of low cost and increased capabilities means DARPA has removed one of the major
obstacles to greater DoD adoption of robot technology.
Gill Pratt, the DARPA program manager for M3, put the achievement in context:
“DARPA is developing a suite of robots that draw inspiration from the ingenuity and efficiency
of nature.
In DARPA’s soft robot, the microfluidic networks used for camouflage or display are contained in thin
silicone sheets referred to as color layers. Various heated or cooled dye, chemiluminescent and fluorescent
solutions and water can be pumped through the color layers to adjust temperature and appearance. Photo Credits: http://www.darpa.mil
For defense applications, ingenuity and efficiency are not enough—robotic systems must also be
cost effective. This novel robot is a significant advance towards achieving all three goals.”
In the video above, a soft robot walks onto a bed of rocks and is filled with fluid to match the
color of the rocks and break up the robot’s shape. The robot moves at a speed of approximately
40 meters per hour; absent the colored fluid, it can move at approximately 67 meters per hour.
Future research will focus on smoothing the movements; however, speed is less important than the robot’s
flexibility. Soft robots are useful because they are resilient and can maneuver through very constrained spaces.
For this demonstration, the researchers used tethers to attach the control system and pump pressurized
gases and liquids into the robot. Tethered operation reduces the size and weight of such robots by
leaving power sources and pumps off-board, but future prototypes could incorporate that equipment
in a self-contained system.
At a pumping rate of 2.25 milliliters per minute, color change in the
robot required 30 seconds. Once filled, the color layers require no power to sustain the color.
Aside from their potential tactical value, soft robots with microfluidic channels could also have
medical applications. The devices could simulate fluid vessels and muscle motion for realistic
modeling or training, and may be used in prosthetic technology.
Additional video presented by Stephen Morin, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and first author
of the paper explains how a "dynamic coloration"
system for soft robots works.
The system might one day have applications ranging from helping doctors plan complex surgeries to acting as a
visual marker to help search crews following a disaster.
Tractor Beams Of Light -
No Longer Pure Science Fiction!
Science fiction meets real science! "Tractor beams" - fascinating invisible beams that can push and pull objects, leave science fiction domain.
The concept of "tractor beam" used in science fiction films and books to haul spaceships and capture floating capsules gains scientific attention.
They Produce Water From The Air!
An Amazing Invention For Those Who Really Need It!
"How can we help someone so powerful they can create water out of thin air?" an astonished Jabin yells in Star Trek's Caretaker.
If you are a Star Trek fan you will remember how the Kazons try to aquire technology that can create water our of thin air.
This technology is no longer in the realms of science fiction. Today we can really create water out of thin air!
Star Trek Tricorder - Now Available Online For Anyone To Build!
Imagine you can see what cannot be seen. Wouldn't you want to actually be able to see beyond the visible?
The good news is that from now on it will be possible to see things we have previously only dreamt of.
We certainly live in exciting times. More and more devices that have long been considered pure science
fiction are now quickly becoming reality.
Do We Live In A Computer Simulation
Created By An Advanced Alien Civilization?
The captivating idea that we might be living in 3 dimensional holographic simulation has been put forward by various scientists.
We will explore this mind-boggling idea further and examine some intriguing questions.
If we suspect that we are programmed beings living inside a simulation is there any way for us to find out if this is true?
Is it possible to change the outcome of this virtual game?
Who could have created this matrix and for what reason?
Spying On People Inside Building Through The Walls
Now, spying on people at home through the walls is easy.
Also find out what's going on behind closed doors - it's nothing particularly difficult. They will even know whether you're sitting or standing!
Biometrics: Eye-Scanners Can Be Fooled
Iris scanning technologies allow people to use their eyes to prove their identify. S
canning your iris has been considered a very good security tool, but now it turns out it is actually possible to fool eye-scanners!
European Physicists Break Quantum Teleportation Record!
Teleportation experiments represent a crucial step toward future quantum networks in space, which require space
to ground quantum communication.
A few weeks ago, the Chinese physicists achieved a great progress by teleporting more than 1100 photons over a
distance of 97 kilometres in only four hours, but the teleportation competition still continues...
Incredible Crystal Star City Hovering In The Air
- It Looks Just Like An Alien Invasion
Imagine it's late in the evening and you go out for a walk to get some fresh air.
Suddenly when you look up to gaze at the night sky, you are stunned to see a huge, crystal star city hovering above your head.
What is happening, you ask yourself as you watch the city that is home to thousands of individuals.
Levitating Ball Defies Gravity -
Incredible Technology Of The Future
Acccording to recent survey, a huge active fault was found under Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776 meters (12,385 feet) above sea level.
The dangerous fault can trigger a magnitude-7 earthquake, close to a volcano, changing the shape of the mountain and destroying nearby communities...
A Future Journey To High Heavens -
A Vision Of Tomorrow's Reality
Once upon a time, the biblical patriarch Jacob had a dream of a ladder leading to heaven, and angels ascending and descending on it.
We, modern human, also have a dream to come closer to high heavens and the idea of a space elevator is not a new one...
Artificial Intelligence: Super-Turing Machine Imitates Human Brain
As computer scientists this year celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the mathematical genius Alan Turing, who set out the basis for digital computing
in the 1930s to anticipate the electronic age, they still quest after a machine as adaptable and intelligent as the human brain.
MessageToEagle.com - In the near future this kind of amazing robots will cost just a few dollars.
Astronomers have discovered an exciting way to use the Z machine to create "star stuff" that can solve many astronomical mysteries.
Scientists hope gained knowledge will shed more light on the archaeological history of...
Science fiction meets real science! "Tractor beams" - fascinating invisible beams that can push and pull objects, leave science fiction domain.
The concept of "tractor beam" used in science fiction films and books to haul spaceships and capture floating capsules gains scientific attention.
"How can we help someone so powerful they can create water out of thin air?" an astonished Jabin yells in Star Trek's Caretaker.
If you are a Star Trek fan you will remember how the Kazons try to aquire technology that can create water our of thin air.
This technology is no longer in the realms of science fiction. Today we can really create water out of thin air!
Imagine you can see what cannot be seen. Wouldn't you want to actually be able to see beyond the visible?
The good news is that from now on it will be possible to see things we have previously only dreamt of.
We certainly live in exciting times. More and more devices that have long been considered pure science
fiction are now quickly becoming reality.
The captivating idea that we might be living in 3 dimensional holographic simulation has been put forward by various scientists.
We will explore this mind-boggling idea further and examine some intriguing questions.
If we suspect that we are programmed beings living inside a simulation is there any way for us to find out if this is true?
Is it possible to change the outcome of this virtual game?
Who could have created this matrix and for what reason?
Now, spying on people at home through the walls is easy.
Also find out what's going on behind closed doors - it's nothing particularly difficult. They will even know whether you're sitting or standing!
Iris scanning technologies allow people to use their eyes to prove their identify. S
canning your iris has been considered a very good security tool, but now it turns out it is actually possible to fool eye-scanners!
Teleportation experiments represent a crucial step toward future quantum networks in space, which require space
to ground quantum communication.
A few weeks ago, the Chinese physicists achieved a great progress by teleporting more than 1100 photons over a
distance of 97 kilometres in only four hours, but the teleportation competition still continues...
Imagine it's late in the evening and you go out for a walk to get some fresh air.
Suddenly when you look up to gaze at the night sky, you are stunned to see a huge, crystal star city hovering above your head.
What is happening, you ask yourself as you watch the city that is home to thousands of individuals.
Acccording to recent survey, a huge active fault was found under Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776 meters (12,385 feet) above sea level.
The dangerous fault can trigger a magnitude-7 earthquake, close to a volcano, changing the shape of the mountain and destroying nearby communities...
Once upon a time, the biblical patriarch Jacob had a dream of a ladder leading to heaven, and angels ascending and descending on it.
As computer scientists this year celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the mathematical genius Alan Turing, who set out the basis for digital computing
in the 1930s to anticipate the electronic age, they still quest after a machine as adaptable and intelligent as the human brain.
Teleportation experiments represent a crucial step toward future quantum networks in space, which require space to ground quantum communication.
Physicists achieved a great progress by teleporting more than 1100 photons...
