Biomimicry

Researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed what they describe as a lightweight, whisker-based tactile sensor that gives drones the ability to navigate and explore their surroundings through gentle touch.

A giant robotic worm can crawl over rocks, climb stairs and steep slopes, and swim through the water – and it does it all by shifting its own weight via a clever new water-pumping mechanism.

A new tiny robot called DirectHop costs less than a cup of coffee and weighs about as much as a paper clip. Inspired by fleas, it can jump up stairs, recover from bad landings, and explore places that larger machines can’t reach.

Venus’ flower basket glass sponges can live many years far below the surface of the ocean. Composed of lightweight, durable silica structures, the pipe-shaped organisms are also providing a great opportunity for aircraft and architectural biomimicry.

Lufthansa Technik has received approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to install its AeroSHARK bionic skin on an Airbus A330-300 Discover airliner so it can fly as efficiently as a shark swims.

Researchers continue to draw inspiration from the animal world for their projects. This new drone can land on a tree branch just like a bird. Equipped with special tactile sensors, it can literally feel its way to a safe landing.

Few things make the career jump from regional cuisine delicacy to robotics actuator. Yet, in research vaguely reminiscent of RoboCop, scientists have used skeletal muscle from a literal frog leg as an actuator to control a tiny robotic manta ray.

Engineers continue to draw inspiration from nature. Scientists from New York University have developed a robot that resembles a fish, and can be easily scaled up or down in size to explore different water bodies.

Engineers used adversarial inverse reinforcement learning to train robots to respond dynamically to uneven terrain and loss of limbs, a training system transferrable to dissimilar robots. And they did so using a stick insect as a role model.

A self-arranging fleet of FloatForm robots requires minimal coordination for navigating, avoiding collisions, magnetically adhering to each other, and detaching themselves. FloatForms could create emergency platforms or future work and living space.

Some of the smartest engineering ideas are inspired by nature. A new robotic gripper, EleTac, borrows its design from the tip of an elephant’s trunk and it’s reportedly capable of not only detecting and holding objects, but also “feeling” them.

Scientists have created a robotic bird that swims, dives, and rockets out of water to fly, all without propellers, legs, or folding tricks. Just clever engineering solving a problem nature already does gracefully.