E-Whiskers: The New Cat Robots
E-Whiskers: The New Cat Robots
Cats have slowly been infiltrating the human ranks since the
beginning of time, forever competing as rulers of this planet. In some
cultures, they have been more successful than others, becoming revered as gods
or kings. In America, they have been more subtle in their approach, instead
being taken for granted in a household setting. But once again, they have begun
to branch out, this time in the area of robotics.
Robots have recently been of great interest to Americans.
Perhaps this came with the renewed interest in the science fiction genre, from
movies such as Star Wars to books such as Ender’s Game. All sorts of plots have
been created where robots rise above their human makers and attempt to conquer the
world. Despite these fantastic ideas, robots would be incredibly useful for
mankind and, whether that is the reason for the interest or the interest comes
from a love of science fiction, many different research labs have been
dedicated to the study of improving robots, including Berkley University.
It is at the Berkley Lab at the University of Berkley where
cats meet robots.
One problem that is currently being researched is how robots
can sense their surroundings. The cat solution: e-whiskers. Made from
high-aspect elastic fibers covered with carbon nanotubes paste, the whiskers
are able to respond to an extremely small amount of pressure in the environment
around them. This would then allow the robots to respond more efficiently in
real-time scenarios.
Whether the robots would wear the whiskers on their face is
an entirely different question.
For more information,
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2014/01/more_biomimetic081431.html
http://www.slashgear.com/e-whiskers-could-give-robots-cat-like-supersenses-23314324/
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